Systems and methods for defining and implementing rules for three dimensional geofences

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to methods and systems for enforcing at least one rule within a geofence. The rule is enforced by a fencing agent on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The geofence is defined by a plurality of geographic designators, with the plurality of geographic designators each being associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) address, preferably an IPv6 address.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of and priority to one ormore co-pending prior filed applications, referenced by U.S. patentapplication Ser. Nos., each of which is hereby incorporated by referencein its entirety. This application is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/987,477, filed May 23, 2018, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/225,433 (now U.S.Pat. No. 9,986,378), filed Aug. 1, 2016, which is a continuation-in-partof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/170,619 (now U.S. Pat. No.9,491,577), filed Jun. 1, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/728,259 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,363,638), filedJun. 2, 2015. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/225,433 is also acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/213,072 (nowU.S. Pat. No. 10,115,277), filed Jul. 18, 2016, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/811,234 (NowU.S. Pat. No. 10,121,215), filed Jul. 28, 2015, which claims the benefitof U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/030,252, filed Jul. 29, 2014.U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/811,234 is also acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/755,669 (nowU.S. Pat. No. 9,906,902), filed Jun. 30, 2015. U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/755,669 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/745,951 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,906,609), filed Jun. 22, 2015,which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/728,259 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,363,638), filed Jun. 2, 2015. U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/755,669 is also a continuation-in-part ofSer. No. 14/728,259 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,363,638), filed Jun. 2, 2015.U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/811,234 is also acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/740,557 (nowU.S. Pat. No. 9,280,559), filed Jun. 16, 2015, which is a continuationof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/728,259 (now U.S. Pat. No.9,363,638), filed Jun. 2, 2015. U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/811,234 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/745,951 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,906,609), filed Jun. 22, 2015.U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/745,951 is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/728,259 (now U.S. Pat. No.9,363,638), filed Jun. 2, 2015. U.S. patent application Ser. No. U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/811,234 is also a continuation-in-part ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/728,259 (now U.S. Pat. No.9,363,638), filed Jun. 2, 2015. U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/213,072 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/953,485 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,875,251), filed Nov. 30, 2015,which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/745,951 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,906,609), filed Jun. 22, 2015, which isa continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/728,259(now U.S. Pat. No. 9,363,638), filed Jun. 2, 2015. U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/213,072 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/007,661 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,396,344),filed Jan. 27, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/740,557 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,280,559), filed Jun. 16, 2015,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/728,259(now U.S. Pat. No. 9,363,638), filed Jun. 2, 2015. Each of theaforementioned applications and patents is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to implementing rules andrestrictions for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in a geofence via afencing agent, with the geofences being associated with a plurality ofplurality of geographic designators, wherein each of the plurality ofthe geographic designators is associated with an IP address.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Systems, methods, and devices for creating databases of land arewell-known in the prior art. It is also known to have an IP addressassociated with a general location, such as a city or zip code.Furthermore, location-based beacon technologies have entered the massmarkets providing geo-location and enabling of portable wireless devicesfor venue and in-store customer marketing, sales and CRM services. Realestate ownership and the management of business services within theconstraints of the business space, like a mall or convention center, hasbecome open game for outside competitive customer poaching and otherkinds of interference. Furthermore, geo-fencing could address othercontentious applications and their use, such as texting while driving.Ubiquitous smartphone usage and location based mobile marketing andcommunication have become prevalent in today's society. With 1.75billion smartphone users in 2014 and 85% of the top 100 retailersestimated to be using beacon technology by 2016, opportunities fordetermining the interactions of the smartphones, beacons, and theInternet generally within defined spaces are numerous.

Exemplary U.S. Patent documents in the prior art include:

U.S. Pub. No. 2015/0031398 for “Zone-Based Information Linking Systemsand Methods” by Rahnama, filed Jul. 29, 2015 and published Jan. 29,2015, describes a method of linking to a geo-fenced zone, the methodcomprising: configuring a device to operate as a document processingengine according to zone address identification rules; obtaining, by thedocument processing engine, a digital document; identifying, by thedocument processing engine, at least one zone address token in thedigital document according to the zone address identification rules;resolving the at least one zone address token to a network addressrelated to a target zone; and enabling the device to linkcommunicatively to the target zone according to the network address.

U.S. Pub. No. 2002/0035432 for “Method and system for spatially indexingland” by Kubica, filed Jun. 8, 2001 and published May 31, 2007,describes a method of spatially indexing land by selecting a parcel(100) of land and extending its boundaries (110) to include a portion ofadjacent streets (125) and alleys (122) to define a cell (150). A uniqueidentifier is assigned to the cell as well as a reference point (170)within the cell (150). The reference point has a known location in aglobal referencing system. An internet address is assigned to the cellwhich identifies its location, such as the location of the referencepoint within the cell. This information and other data associated withthe cell is then stored in an OX Spatial Index database and includes thestreet address for the cell and other relevant information such asowner, what type building if any is on the property, location of utilitylines, etc. A Spatial Internet Address which includes the geographiclocation of the cell is assigned for each cell and this information isalso stored in the index. The index thereby created can be used forvarious applications such as determining a user's location and locatinggeographically relevant information by searching the index andconnecting to websites associated with the user's vicinity.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,920,129 for “Geo-spatial internet protocol addressing”by Preston, filed Nov. 30, 2000 and issued Jul. 19, 2005, describesconversion of latitude and longitude to an addressing scheme thatsupports current TCP/IP (Ipv4) and future addressing (Ipv6/Ipng)requirements. More specifically, it allows a decentralization of theunicast point to a device on the hosted network. Geographical InternetProtocol (geoIP) addressing will facilitate anycast routing schemes inwhich the nearest node has a statically assigned geoIP. Geo-routing andnetwork management become a function of the geoIP address.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,812,027 for “Geo-fence entry and exit notificationsystem” by Obermeyer, filed Aug. 15, 2012 and issued Aug. 19, 2014,describes a method for determining when a mobile communications devicehas crossed a geo-fence. The method comprises (a) providing a mobilecommunications device (209) equipped with an operating system and havinga location detection application resident thereon, wherein the mobilecommunications device is in communication with a server (211) over anetwork (203), and wherein the server maintains a geo-fence database(213); (b) receiving, from the operating system, a notification that (i)the location of the mobile communications device has changed by anamount that exceeds a predetermined threshold, or (ii) that a period oftime has passed; (c) querying the operating system for a data setcomprising the general location of the mobile communications device andthe corresponding location accuracy; (d) transmitting the data set tothe server; and (e) receiving from the server, in response, a set ofgeo-fences (205) proximal to the general location.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,837,363 for “Server for updating location beacondatabase” by Jones, filed Sep. 6, 2011 and issued Sep. 16, 2014,describes a location beacon database and server, method of buildinglocation beacon database, and location based service using same. Wi-Fiaccess points are located in a target geographical area to build areference database of locations of Wi-Fi access points. At least onevehicle is deployed including at least one scanning device having a GPSdevice and a Wi-Fi radio device and including a Wi-Fi antenna system.The target area is traversed in a programmatic route to reduce arterialbias. The programmatic route includes substantially all drivable streetsin the target geographical area and solves an Eulerian cycle problem ofa graph represented by said drivable streets. While traversing thetarget area, Wi-Fi identity information and GPS location information isdetected. The location information is used to reverse triangulate theposition of the detected Wi-Fi access point; and the position of thedetected access point is recorded in a reference database.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,892,460 for “Cell-allocation in location-selectiveinformation provision systems” by Golden, et al., filed Aug. 29, 2014and issued Nov. 18, 2014, describes system and methods for allocatingcells within a virtual grid to content providers according to variouspriority and selection schemes are used to target content delivery toinformation playback devices in a geographically and/or applicationselective manner. The priority schemes, geographical selectivity, andapplication selectivity of the system and methods of the invention allowa content provider to specifically target a desired demographic withhigh cost efficiency and flexibility.

U.S. Pub. No. 2014/0171013 for “Monitoring a mobile device en route todestination” by Varoglu, filed Dec. 17, 2012 and published Jun. 19,2014, describes a system, method and apparatus are disclosed formonitoring a mobile device en route to a destination. A user of amonitored device specifies geo-fence regions along a route to thedestination. Entry and exit of regions triggers the sending of eventnotifications to a monitoring device. Event notifications may be sent ifan estimated time of arrival changes due to delay. Event notificationsmay be sent if the monitored device deviates from a planned route by athreshold distance. Event notifications may be sent through a directcommunication link between the monitored device and monitoring device orthrough a location-based service.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,634,804 for “Devices, systems, and methods for locationbased billing” by McNamara, filed Dec. 7, 2009, and issued Jan. 21,2014, describes devices, systems and methods are disclosed which relateto billing users of a telecommunication network. A billing server is incommunication with a geo-fence database. The geo-fence database containsa plurality of geo-fences. Some geo-fences are associated with a singlemobile communication devices, such as a home geo-fence, work geo-fence,etc., while other geo-fences are global, such as a stadium geo-fence,toll geo-fence, etc. When a mobile communication device enters theperimeter of a geo-fence, a billing server changes the billing rate atwhich connections are billed to the user account or bills another useraccount. The mobile communication device may send a ticket code to thebilling server for a reduced billing rate while within a geo-fence. If amobile communication device enters a toll geo-fence, then the billingserver charges the user account for the toll.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to methods and systems for enforcingat least one rule within a geofence. The rule is enforced by a fencingagent on a device. The geofence is defined by a plurality of geographicdesignators, with the plurality of geographic designators each beingassociated with an Internet Protocol (IP) address, preferably an IPv6address.

One embodiment of the present invention is a method for enforcing atleast one rule within a geofence, including a fencing agent of anunmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) identifying that the UAV is physicallylocated within at least one zone of a geofence, the fencing agent of theUAV identifying at least one rule associated with the at least one zoneof the geofence in a geofence database, wherein the at least one zone ofthe geofence is at least one of a plurality of zones in the geofence,wherein the plurality of zones includes a hierarchy, the fencing agentimplementing the at least one rule associated with the at least one zoneof the geofence while the UAV is physically located within the at leastone zone of the geofence, and if a conflict is detected between rulesfor a higher ranked zone in the hierarchy and rules for a lower rankedzone in the hierarchy, the fencing agent implementing the rules for thehigher ranked zone while the UAV is physically located within the higherranked zone and the lower ranked zone, wherein each of the plurality ofzones is defined relative to a central point, wherein the central pointis defined by a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address in the geofencedatabase, and wherein the unique IP address is a unique identifier ofthe geofence.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a system for enforcing atleast one rule within a geofence, including a fencing agent for anunmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), wherein the fencing agent is operable toidentify when the UAV is physically located within at least one zone ofa geofence, wherein the fencing agent is further operable to identify atleast one rule associated with the at least one zone of the geofence,and wherein the fencing agent is operable to implement the at least onerule associated with the at least one zone of the geofence, wherein theat least one zone of the geofence is at least one of a plurality ofzones in the geofence, wherein the plurality of zones includes ahierarchy, wherein, if a conflict is detected between rules for a higherranked zone in the hierarchy and rules for a lower ranked zone in thehierarchy, the fencing agent is operable to implement the rules for thehigher ranked zone while the UAV is physically located within the higherranked zone and the lower ranked zone, and wherein each of the pluralityof zones is defined relative to a central point, wherein the centralpoint is defined by a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address in thegeofence database, wherein the unique IP address is a unique identifierof the geofence.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention includes a method forenforcing at least one rule within a geofence, including a fencing agentof an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) identifying that the UAV isphysically located within a geofence, the fencing agent of the UAVidentifying at least one rule associated with the geofence in a geofencedatabase, and the fencing agent implementing the at least one ruleassociated with the geofence while the UAV is physically located withinthe geofence, wherein the geofence is defined relative to a centralpoint, wherein the central point is defined by a unique InternetProtocol (IP) address in the geofence database, wherein the unique IPaddress in the geofence database is a unique identifier of the geofence,and wherein the unique IP address includes metadata associated with thegeofence.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art after a reading of the following descriptionwhen considered with the drawings, as they support the claimedinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a virtualized computingnetwork used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for delivering geofence information based on arequest.

FIG. 3 is one embodiment of a graphical user interface (GUI) for alatitude/longitude geofence search, showing a list of geofences andcorresponding information.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a GUI for fence delivery network,including several options of defining a geofence, including defining thegeofence by real property boundaries, defining the geofence by theradius around a beacon, defining the geofence by the perimeter of abuilding.

FIGS. 5A & 5B show a flowchart illustrating steps for querying ageofence database.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating zoom level to class binding when usinga pyramid projection.

FIG. 7 illustrates a 3-D model overview.

FIG. 8 is a 2-D model overview.

FIG. 9 is a PRIOR ART schematic diagram for geofencing solutions.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for geofencing solutions according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the encoding of a class andentitlement on an IPv6 address.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Advantageously, geofences associated with a plurality of geographicdesignators, wherein each of the plurality of geographic designators isassociated with an IP address provide for improved functionality,characteristics, and qualities of the geofence. Particularly,associating geofences with IPv6 addresses provides for at least improvedsafety, security, privacy, fair competition, competition management,resolution, definition, lookup, and control.

Hereafter, the terms drone, UAS, UAV, UAD, and UVS are usedinterchangeably. UASs, UAVs, UADs, UVSs, or drones include devices whichare controlled remotely, operate fully autonomously, operatesemi-autonomously, operate intermittently autonomously, operate viaexternal sensors, and combinations thereof.

By contrast to the present invention, none of the prior art addressesthe longstanding need for querying a database of geofences, with thegeofences being associated with a plurality of geographic designators,wherein each of the plurality of geographic designators is associatedwith an IP address. The prior art geofences are almost all directed tocentric or centroid technology, such as beacons. In the prior art, thefunctions within the geofence are typically limited to one function,such as advertising. Also, the intent around defining geofences is notas defined as in the present invention. In other words, the intent of anowner of a geofence does not correlate to the actual definition of thegeofence in the prior art. A centroid geofence does not necessarilycover the entire intended area, nor does the centroid geofence onlycover areas that are meant to be covered in the prior art. Instead,devices that the owner of the geofence wishes to receive content mightnot receive content due to the definition of the geofence surroundingthe beacon. Similarly, devices that the owner of the geofence does notwish to receive content might receive content due to the definition ofthe geofence surrounding the beacon. Thus, there remains a need formethods and systems which provide for creating a database of geofences,wherein the geofences are defined by the intent and context of thecontent to be made accessible, inaccessible, or required for deviceslocated within the geofence.

In particular, the geofences of the present invention delineate bordersand property boundaries, ensure privacy, and protect the occupantsinside the fence from unwanted intrusion as well as unwanted activitiesinside the fence. The geofences also indicate boundaries of authority.The rules on one side of a fence may differ from the rules on adifferent side of the fence. A geofence in the present invention is avirtual perimeter around a physical space. The physical space is thesurface of the earth, the airspace above the surface of the earth, theocean floor, and/or the space below the earth's surface. The presentinvention provides a global registry for rights of owners of geofencesand others for the virtual property within the virtual perimeter. Therights of owners of geofences are analogous to physical signs which areplaced on physical fences. Approval is required for owners to haverights with respect to the geofence, as well as for the owners to belisted in the registry. Preferably, the registry is globally published.Geofences are useful in combination with smart devices, which are ableto sense geofences. Drones, smartphones/apps, and the internet of thingsall sense and react to geofences and comply with rules posted bygeofence owners. As these devices become more autonomous, rules andassociated boundaries are needed for these devices. This ensures properoperation of these devices, the safety of the public, and the rights ofproperty owners. Smart devices may react in an obvious manner (ex:notification on a smart phone) or more subtle manner. Rules may relateto oppressing distracting features of a smart device within a geofence,such as automatically silencing the smart device within the geofence.

Virtual signs indicate rules that govern activity and presence withingeofences. Certain features of apps may be switched on or off asinstructed by a geofence. In a movie theater example, mobile phonesshould be silenced and cameras should not be used. Geofences provide forautomatically disabling the camera and silencing the phone automaticallyupon the phone entering the geofence. The geofence may also include arule which automatically silences the phone and disables the camera nearor at the start time of a movie. Notably, each separate theater in amovie theater could have its own geofence.

Another case for geofence rules include disabling functionality ofphones (ex: texting) while driving and disabling phone use while atschool. Geofences can also be used for document encryption that requiresa device to be inside a geofence for a document to open. Geofences canalso be used in banking/ATM security and/or helping drones avoid thenational airspace system, schools, prisons, and other high risk areas.

Mobile device management systems can have their capabilities expandedthrough geofences. Geofence rules can instruct devices to install oruninstall apps automatically. Access to sensitive resources are disabledor enabled based on physical relation to geofences. Enhancing logisticssystems, network services for convention centers and arenas, andservices for presenters and performers can also be accomplished throughgeofences.

The geometry of a geofence can enter the database through data feeds ofpublic records, official government sources, and mined and enricheddata. A manual geofence editor may also be used. By way of example, ageofence may be drawn around the Louvre museum in Paris. The accountuser of the geofence editor should verify that they are directlyresponsible to enter and enforce rules of that geofence. Once geofencesare published via the fence delivery network, they are stored inmillions of cellular towers and WiFi access points worldwide. Thisensures that requests for cached fences are served with a speed increaseof 30× over the prior art. This saves mobile device battery usage andusage of data on mobile devices. Several advanced peer to peer/meshnetwork protocol are also used to deliver requests for cached fences.Within a few seconds of being published via the fence delivery network,the fence data is available in cellular towers and WiFi access points.

Another use case for geofences is in combination with portable securitysystems based on computer vision and artificial intelligence. Humans,vehicles, birds, and drones can be tracked with these systems. Targetscan be verified that they are allowed to occupy a particular spacewithin a geofence. Configuration zones can also be provided. Theseconfiguration zones describe the mission of portable security systems ina given area. By way of example, a mission designed to use radar and IRto detect drug smugglers and illegal immigrants on small boats at nightcan be attached to a geofence along a coastline. A second mission couldbe applied to a prison area to monitor and prevent delivery of drugs andweapons to prisoners. One of the mobile towers can be moved to anotherlocation. Upon redeployment, the mobile tower will automaticallyreconfigure itself. The details of the mission are expressed to themobile tower through the geofence.

App developers and device manufacturers can enable their products withthe platform of the present invention by embedding the fencing agent ofthe present invention into their code. The fencing agent preferablyincludes a small library and a certificate. The certificate is used toenroll the product into the platform. Once enrolled, the app developeror device manufacturer can grant owners of geofences the ability todeliver entitlements directly to the product.

In another embodiment, the fencing agent is included in a target chipwhich is added to a device. In yet another embodiment, the fencing agentis included on a chip already existing in the device, with the chipperforming another function on the device or being necessary orsupplemental to the operation of the device, such as a chip in theoperating system of the device.

Prior art provides for positioning with mobile communication devices viaoperating systems (such as Google Android and Apple iOS) using latitudeand longitude (Lat/Long) single points, which are always wrong orinaccurate, having both accuracy and range at the level of meters.Mobile operating system vendors use wi-fi, iBeacon, global positioningsystem (GPS), magnetometer, and inertial navigation to determinelocation for mobile communication devices. Note that the presentinvention systems and methods are not used to provide for determiningposition or improve accuracy of the prior art. However, the presentinvention systems and methods advantageously provide for fast andaccurate geofence identification, registration, and lookup via mobiledevices.

One embodiment of the present invention includes a method for enforcingat least one rule within a geofence, including a fencing agent of anunmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) identifying that the UAV is physicallylocated within at least one zone of a geofence, the fencing agent of theUAV identifying at least one rule associated with the at least one zoneof the geofence in a geofence database, wherein the at least one zone ofthe geofence is at least one of a plurality of zones in the geofence,wherein the plurality of zones includes a hierarchy, the fencing agentimplementing the at least one rule associated with the at least one zoneof the geofence while the UAV is physically located within the at leastone zone of the geofence, and if a conflict is detected between rulesfor a higher ranked zone in the hierarchy and rules for a lower rankedzone in the hierarchy, the fencing agent implementing the rules for thehigher ranked zone while the UAV is physically located within the higherranked zone and the lower ranked zone, wherein each of the plurality ofzones is defined relative to a central point, wherein the central pointis defined by a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address in the geofencedatabase, and wherein the unique IP address is a unique identifier ofthe geofence.

Another embodiment of the present invention includes a system forenforcing at least one rule within a geofence, including a fencing agentfor an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), wherein the fencing agent isoperable to identify when the UAV is physically located within at leastone zone of a geofence, wherein the fencing agent is further operable toidentify at least one rule associated with the at least one zone of thegeofence, and wherein the fencing agent is operable to implement the atleast one rule associated with the at least one zone of the geofence,wherein the at least one zone of the geofence is at least one of aplurality of zones in the geofence, wherein the plurality of zonesincludes a hierarchy, wherein, if a conflict is detected between rulesfor a higher ranked zone in the hierarchy and rules for a lower rankedzone in the hierarchy, the fencing agent is operable to implement therules for the higher ranked zone while the UAV is physically locatedwithin the higher ranked zone and the lower ranked zone, and whereineach of the plurality of zones is defined relative to a central point,wherein the central point is defined by a unique Internet Protocol (IP)address in the geofence database, wherein the unique IP address is aunique identifier of the geofence.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention includes a method forenforcing at least one rule within a geofence, including a fencing agentof an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) identifying that the UAV isphysically located within a geofence, the fencing agent of the UAVidentifying at least one rule associated with the geofence in a geofencedatabase, and the fencing agent implementing the at least one ruleassociated with the geofence while the UAV is physically located withinthe geofence, wherein the geofence is defined relative to a centralpoint, wherein the central point is defined by a unique InternetProtocol (IP) address in the geofence database, wherein the unique IPaddress in the geofence database is a unique identifier of the geofence,and wherein the unique IP address includes metadata associated with thegeofence.

In one embodiment, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules areenforced with geofences in the context of airspace management ofUnmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) or drones. In another embodiment, thegeofence participates with the drone in an advisory system for aviationsafety and national security for airports, restricted airspace, nationalsecurity sites. In the advisory system, the operators must interpretregulations, seek guidance from regulators or an attorney, and makejudgements regarding the operation of the UAS. The UAS can be forcommercial, governmental, educational, or recreational use. In the ruleenforcement and advisory system embodiments, airspaces change over timeand there is a two way exchange of information between UAVs and/or UAVoperators and airports. Preferably, the two way exchange of informationis over a network between a server computer including a processor and amemory and a UAV, or between the server computer and a device includinga processor and a memory associated with the UAV and operated by theoperator of the UAV.

In one embodiment, redefining a zone or the geofence in the geofencedatabase is performed by redefining the plurality of zone/geofence IPaddresses, wherein redefining the plurality of zone/geofence IPaddresses includes adding additional zone/geofence IP addresses,deleting one or more of the plurality of zone/geofence IP addresses,and/or changing one or more of the plurality of zone/geofence IPaddresses. In another embodiment, redefining a zone or the geofence inthe geofence database is performed by redefining the longitude,latitude, and/or altitude associated with the points defining the zoneand/or geofence. Redefining the geofence and/or the zone of the geofenceis preferably performed in real-time by updating the geofence database.

In one embodiment the source of air space information is obtainedthrough partnerships with air space mapping companies, aviationauthorities, and government agencies. In another embodiment the airspace information is gathered through a GUI for airports and operatorsto create airspaces using shapes such as cones, circles, ellipses, orpolygons overlaid on a map. In such an embodiment the shapes on the mapare geofence geometries and the center point of a circle shape is ageographic designator, geocode, or lat/long location from which a radiusis drawn for an airspace shape. In another embodiment where the shapesare not circular, the points required to define fence geometries ofcorresponding shapes are defined using geographic designators, geocodes,or lat/long locations. In an embodiment for determining which rulesshould be applied to a UAS, the points creating geometries of fences andthe shapes are used to create three dimensional (3D) projection in spacethat is resolved by the UAS using information provided by the geofencesystem.

In embodiments with geometries using points where the points aregeographic designators, geocodes, or lat/long locations, there is atleast one anchor for the geofence and the anchor is assigned an IPvXaddress where X is any version of the IP protocol. In a preferredembodiment, the IP address is an IPv6 address.

In one embodiment, the registration of geofences for airspace managementis required for restrictions around predetermined locations by way ofexample and not limitation infrastructure and components thereof, powerplants, electric power grid components, communication networkcomponents, data centers, water treatment facilities, oil and gastreatment plants, government and or military facilities, prisons, andother sensitive areas where concerns raised by UAS operators isnon-aviation related. Information exchange requirements betweenoperators and interested parties require an advisory or ruleimplementing system and exchange of real-time, near real-timeinformation, or pre-flight information between the UAS operator and theinterested party or governing agency. Sensitive events requiringimplementation of rules or exchange of information include VIP travel,stadium events, forest fires, and events requiring permits in publicspace or events triggered by changing circumstances. Since airspacemanagement is driven by events, events include temporary flightrestriction. Events are managed through digital notice and awarenesssystems (D-NAS) implemented by UAS airspace management companies such asAirmap. In one embodiment, systems manage exchange of information inreal-time, near real-time, or prior to flight between UAS operators andthird parties such as airports or government agencies. In thisembodiment, the configuration of rules based on regulations or interestsgoverning the third party such as adhering to FAA regulations forairports or in the case of forest fires, exchanging information with theNational Interagency Fire Center are applications built with geofencinginformation. It is an object of this invention register geofences forairspaces and to include as metadata the required information forimplementation of rules for systems that exchange information betweenUAS operators and third parties.

In one embodiment for implementing airspace rules includes maps andinformation including, but not limited to: a map with restrictedairspace, temporary flight restrictions, areas mapped for recreationalflights, maps for airspace below 500 feet, upper level airspace, classesof airspace (such as B, C, D, and E), and information for commercialoperations requiring notice or authorization depending on jurisdiction,Section 333 exemptions from the FAA, certificate or waiverauthorizations, or blanket COA's. In one embodiment, the classes ofairspace are defined as concentric shapes, such as concentric circles,concentric squares, concentric spheres, concentric cubes, concentrichalf-circles, concentric hemispheres, concentric ellipses, concentricspheroids, concentric triangles, concentric cones, concentric cylinders,concentric pentagons, concentric pentagonal prisms, concentric hexagons,concentric hexagonal prisms, etc. In this context, concentric meansshapes which share the same center, with the larger shapes surroundingthe smaller shapes. Heights of three dimensional (3D) geofences,including concentric and non-concentric spheres, hemispheres, spheroids,cones, cubes, pentagonal prisms, hexagonal prisms, etc. are operable tobe defined by a radius from the center or by an altitude. In anotherembodiment, the height of a 3D geofence extends to the troposphere,stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and/or exosphere. In yet anotherembodiment, the height of a 3D geofence extends upwards infinitely froma defined perimeter on the ground. The information from maps andmetadata needed to comply with rules are part of the system stored ingeofences as metadata, stored in software operating within or around thegeofence or stored in the cloud and used by the geofence and systemapplications.

In one embodiment, the implementing rules for Unmanned Aircraft Systems(UAS) operators include digital notification from the UAS operators toairports or third parties. In one implementation by Airmap, D-NAS hasfeatures including a cloud based solution with profile configuration,text based notification, phone number registration, a GUI forconfiguration by airport, configuration settings for receivingnotification, parameters for setting floor and ceiling and acceptingnotifications, creation of airport defined zones (ADZ's), settings forenabling and disabling spaces, prioritization of notifications usingrisk levels, etc. Notifications are operable to be sent by a servercomputer over a network to the UAV or to a device in networkcommunication with the UAV. In one embodiment, the notifications includeinstructions to override a rule associated with a geofence or a zone ofthe geofence temporarily or permanently for the UAV.

An object of this invention is to provide caching of geofence rules usedto implement notification or advisory systems for UAS operators andthird parties, advantages using IP encoding of geofence points andgeometry, geocaching of metadata in the geofence databases, andprioritization of notifications using classes, entitlements, metadata,and zones.

In embodiments where the geofence is defined using a central point, thecentral point is preferably associated with a longitude, a latitude,and/or an altitude in the geofence database. Other points defining thegeofence or zones of the geofence include a longitude, a latitude,and/or an altitude in one embodiment. Preferably, the IP addressesassociated with the central point and/or the other points defining thegeofence are IPv6 addresses.

In one embodiment, the plurality of zones are concentric shapes aroundthe central point. Concentric shapes

In another embodiment, at least one rule within a geofence, a fencingagent of a device identifying the device is physically located within ageofence, the fencing agent of the device identifying at least one ruleassociated with the geofence; and the device implementing the at leastone rule associated with the geofence, wherein the fencing agent isembedded in a code of an application on the device, the fencing agent isincluded in a chip added to the device, or the fencing agent is includedin a chip in an operating system of the device.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided forfinding a geofence in a geofence database, including determining ageographic location, searching for the geographic location in thegeofence database, and identifying at least one geofence associated withthe geographic location, wherein the at least one geofence is defined bya plurality of geographic designators, wherein each geographicdesignator is associated with an IP address.

In methods and systems for delivering geofence information by one ormore processors according to the present invention, the following stepsare included: generating at the device a first request comprising acoordinate point of a geographic location associated with the device;converting the coordinate point (dB key for a region) to an InternetProtocol (IP) address and generating an anchor point corresponding tothe IP address; identifying one or more geofences that are associatedwith the coordinate point; and creating a response to the requestwherein the response comprises information describing the one or moreidentified geofences.

In one embodiment, the request includes at least one geographicdesignator. Preferably, the at least one geographic designator isassociated with an Internet Protocol (IP) address that is converted toan anchor point for each geofence.

In yet another embodiment, the geofence information further includes atleast one class and at least one entitlement.

Another embodiment of the present invention further includes the stepof, if at least one entitlement exists for any geofence returned, areason code or a violation code is automatically provided with theresponse. Alternatively, if at least one entitlement exists for anygeofence returned, a reason code or a violation code is automaticallyprovided to the at least one device, and the at least one deviceresponds accordingly, based upon how it has been programmed to respond.In one embodiment, the response includes compliance with at least onerule associated with the at least one entitlement. Another embodimentincludes the step of automatically blocking an attempt by the at leastone device to access a website based on the at least one rule.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention includes the step ofreceiving a request from the at least one device for activating at leastone rule associated with a license for predetermined geofence(s) andcorresponding class(es) and entitlement(s) for the at least one device.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention includes the step ofreceiving an activation message. Preferably, the activation messageincludes terms of payment, terms of time, terms of use, terms oftermination, terms of assignability, terms of content, terms ofconfidentiality, a warranty, post-termination rights, and/or a notice.Another embodiment provides for the step of activating the at least onerule associated with the license on the at least one device includingtransmitting an activation packet to the at least one device, whereintransmitting the activation packet to the at least one device transformsthe at least one device from a first state to a second state.

The present invention provides for the additional step of receiving anacceptance of a license agreement from the at least one device beforeactivating at least one rule associated with a license for the at leastone device for each geofence and corresponding at least one entitlementin another embodiment.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention further includes thestep of storing information relating to at least one rule associatedwith at least one geofence in a geofence database.

Another embodiment provides for determining a license associated withthe geofence and activating at least one rule associated with thelicense on at least one device, wherein the geofence is defined by atleast one geographic designator; and wherein the at least one ruleincludes a rule directed to a content stored on the at least one deviceor accessible from the at least one device within the geofence.Preferably, the at least one rule includes a rule restricting orenabling access to the content stored on the at least one device oraccessible from the at least one device within the geofence.

In one embodiment of the system of the present invention, the at leastone geofence is determined by at least one geographic designator that isautomatically associated with a corresponding Internet Protocol (IP)address. Preferably, the IP address is automatically converted to ananchor point for each geofence.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides for populating acache with geofence information. In one embodiment, the cache is a localcache. Preferably, the local cache is within a geofence, a room, abuilding, or any other defined perimeter. Preferably, the cache isstored on a router, modem, or any other Internet related hardware.Advantageously, the cache provides for faster lookup of geofenceinformation for a geofence or a plurality of geofences for other devicesonce a first device has accessed the geofence information for thegeofence or the plurality of geofences. Alternatively, the routerincludes geofence information in a cache without a first deviceaccessing the geofence information.

In a deployment diagram, the first step does not require being performedover the network, because it is provided for determining a positionusing the DNS resolver; then querying with a single IP address;receiving an anchor point with IP address within the DNS resolver blockfunctions; noting that multiple anchor points exist for the multiplegeofences within the ROI; all requesting steps from the fencing agentare made between the DNS revolver and the public infrastructure; withinthe portal and in continuous production of geometry where the system andmethods of the present invention automatically generate the anchorpoints, and then automatically identify or locate them within the publicinfrastructure, then left of red in the figure, the fencing agentreasons about relation of fence geometry from correct position (toright).

In another embodiment, the ROI is determined based upon locationservices operating on the at least one device.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides for a querying ageofence database system including a geofence database including atleast one geofence defined by a plurality of geographic designators,wherein each geographic designator is associated with an InternetProtocol (IP) address and a server including a processor, wherein theserver is operable to register the at least one geofence and theassociated IP address in the geofence database and wherein theassociated IP address is a unique identifier of the at least onegeofence.

Preferably, the first request is a Domain Name System (DNS) query andthe response is a DNS response. In one embodiment, the step ofconverting the coordinate point to the IP address comprises querying ageofence database with data stored thereon for IP addresses, anchorpoints for geofences, and coordinate points for geographic locations. Inanother embodiment, the step of identifying one or more geofencescomprises querying a geofence database, wherein the geofence databasestores information describing each geofence.

Preferably, the information describing each geofence includes at leastone of an indication whether the geofence is verified or unverified, aclass of the geofence, an entitlement of the geofence, a time-to-livevalue, and a context summary of the geofence.

The present invention also provides for a method for querying for ageofence registered in a database of geofences, the method includingdefining a geofence using at least one geographic designator, assigningan internet protocol (IP) address to each of the at least one geographicdesignators defining the geofence, and storing the at least onegeographic designator and the assigned IP address of the at least onegeographic designator in the database of geofence, wherein the IPaddress assigned to each of the at least one geographic designators is aunique identifier of the geofence.

In preferred embodiments, the IP address is an IPv6 address, which hasenhanced functionality that is associated with IPv6, including providingfor improved geofence registration, faster geofenceidentification/lookup, and the ability to more accurately define thegeofences, including the intent of the geofence owner for classes and/orentitlements that provide for permissions for activities, access, and/ormessages within the associated geofence. In preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, the geofence is a non-centroid or non-centricgeofence.

Encoding anchor point(s) with IPv6 addresses may be illustrated by FIG.11 showing pyramid projections having multiple levels. In a flatprojection, zoom level 1 provides for coverage of the entire planet;these expand to zoom level 32 at 64 bit density, which provide for classand/or use or entitlement identification within the metadata for lookup.By way of example and not limitation, a tile mapping system may be used;tile naming provides for a directory structure that indexes for searchand lookup within the systems and methods of the present invention.

In systems and methods of the present invention, geofence anchor pointsare provided and defined as a member point on a boundary of a geofenceor within a geofence boundary and are used as the geofence address,i.e., the geofence address that is registered with the geofenceregistry. Notably, multiple overlapping geofences can occupy the samephysical space or geographic space. Significantly, in the presentinvention, the geofences are defined not by lat/long but by a memberpoint or anchor point, which can be on the boundary of a geofence orwithin the boundary of that geofence. The intent or purpose of thegeofence, which is defined by the entitlements and/or classesestablished by the geofence owner, is established with the anchor pointused as the geofence address (IPv6 preferably).

By way of example for illustration purposes, in software or mobileapplications (Apps) that monitor specific types of geofences (or fences)then a region of interest (ROI) is provided for the geofence coveredwithin the App, for each geofence of interest; a query is sent for thegeofence(s), not for the region of interest. The geofences areregistered with categories or classes, by way of example and notlimitation, for a city, school, park, etc. (see also case studyillustrated by GUI shown in FIG. 4). A multiplicity of Apps access thegeofences registration information based upon the ROI determined by thelocation services of the mobile device and the query for geofence(s)within the App. For another example, consider an App that only works fora school geofence class; based upon the mobile device running the Appwithin the ROI encompassing the school, the App will actively blockrumor sites or social media sites while the mobile device location(based upon the operating system location services for that device) iswithin the school geofence physical area. For yet another example, anon-regulated car service such as Uber, having an App operable on amobile device (“Uber App”) if the App developer has agreed with thisgeofence policy and developed the App accordingly, then when the mobiledevice is physically or proximally in predetermined location within ageofence, such as an airport, the airport geofence may have restrictionsthat disable or block the Uber App from functioning when the mobiledevice location services indicate that it is within the airportgeofence.

The systems and methods of the present invention further provide forautomatic notification of geofence identification via Apps operating onmobile communication devices including the standard notification ofapproach, enter, exit, and dwell, and augmenting or supplementing themwith important information provided only with the present invention,including geofence ownership, geofence entitlements, geofence use date,and/or messaging with at least one reason code and/or at least oneviolation code. The App functionality may further enable or disablefunctionality of the mobile device based upon the entitlements and/orother supplemental information. By way of example, consider another usecase for a mobile payment App, such as Square App. Food trucks may onlyoperate within a licensed district. A signed certificate or officialpermit or license evidences and represents that the food truck has beengranted a legal permission that is a basis for an entitlement to operatethe food truck within a predetermined or specified time period(duration), geography, and operational hours during days within thepredetermined time or specified time period of the license, permit, orcertificate. A mobile payment App (Square App) or other mobile commerceApp developed to comply with the rule, law, certification, permit, orlicense, will lock or unlock the payment or commerce function of thepoint of sale (POS) App, based upon the geofence and correspondingentitlements detected automatically by the App considered with thelocation services of the mobile device and/or the POS App used by theFood Truck and its location services detected thereby. A notificationmessage is provided on the device hosting the App (POS device and/ormobile device) indicating payment inactivation or other notice toindicate that that payment function is not authorized and/or provide areason code or violation code.

According to the present invention systems and methods, upon receivingan initial query about a region of interest (ROI) from an App operableon a mobile communication device via a network, at least one anchorpoint within the ROI with corresponding classes of geofences isidentified by the at least one server. Upon receiving a second query (orsecond part of information requested in the initial query) to a specificclass if any interest to downselect from the ROI geofences is provided;the specific class is selected from at least a type of class and a classhierarchy that include groups of types of geofence owners and/or groupsof types of use cases. By way of example and not limitation, groups areselected from federal government, state government, city or localgovernment, education or schools, community, residential, fire district,home owner associations, parks, commercial, private, and combinationsthereof. Also, types of commercial groups may be further defined ordetailed.

Significantly, the systems and methods of the present invention providefor high efficiency for delivering query responses using caching ofgeofence information within the ROI from prior queries on unrelatedmobile devices. By managing the balance of zoom level detail withmetadata included with each geofence, the geofence information deliveryefficiency is optimized. More detailed or deeper hierarchy structure forgeofence classes (or zoom level) requires more metadata, by way ofexample and not limitation, for use with Internet of Things (IoT)applications of the present invention.

Also, examples of geofence classes include official signed or certifiedclasses, verified, etc. The classes provide an organized framework forgeofence owners and operators or managers of geofences and entitlementsto communicate with third parties about the existence and intent orconditions of the geofence through the automated systems and methods ofthe present invention for registering and providing for mobile devicelookup or querying to identify the geofences within the ROI based uponthe mobile device location service position. Notification output in realtime or near real time to Apps (or to developers of Apps who determinehow to manage and respond to the geofence information that isregistered).

Prior art provides for proximity-based detection of geofences andnotices for a mobile device that provides for geofence identificationand enter/exit/dwell status of device with respect to the proximity orposition of the device to the geofence; notably, almost all arecentroid-based geofences wherein a signal emitter device or beaconfunctions as a center point for the geofence. By contrast, the presentinvention systems and methods provide for non-centriod geofences thatare more accurate with respect to the geofence boundary than with priorart (present invention is accurate for range to less than 1 cm, and evento less than one micron). The present invention also does not requirethe presence of a signal emitter device or beacon; the mobile deviceitself and at least one App operable thereon for querying for theexistence of geofence(s) in the ROI proximate the mobile device providefor the identification using wireless communication with the geofenceregistration server(s). Also, advantageously, the present inventionprovides for automated notification messages or notices that provide foralert(s) to the mobile device user and/or changes in the graphic userinterface (GUI) of the device for indication of device status withrespect to the geofence (approach enter, exit, dwell) and geofence classand/or entitlements. Features and/or functions of the device may appearor active and disappear or deactivate, provided that controls orsettings on the device are enabled.

By way of example for a residential case or use of the present inventionsystems and methods, a pet tracker App is provided on a mobilecommunication device or smartphone. Location services are activated onthe device and/or in the App. With respect to the residential property,a geofence may be registered for the physical property boundary that iscertified or verified by public records, including location of a housestructure positioned on the property and the real property surroundingit. A backyard only area may be registered as a non-verified geofencethat is acknowledged or identified by the App for use with the pettracker. The App provides for programming of automated triggers that mayindicate messaging or notification that the pet having a geolocationdevice associated with it has changed status with respect to thegeofence(s) (approach, enter, exit, dwell) and the class of each of thegeofences (verified and non-verified).

So in each case the mobile device must identify where the device iswithin the geofence or proximal to it.

Pairing for 2D and 3D geofences is also provided with improved accuracyby the present invention. By way of example, consider the use case wherea mobile device such as a smartphone having an App operable thereon canpair or coordinate with other activated devices within a geofence, suchas a remote controller App for use in activating lights, HVAC, and/oraudio/video devices within a hotel room after the user has checked intothe hotel. The smartphone position with respect to the geofence(s) ofthe hotel overall, but more specifically to only one room within thehotel, requires more accurate positioning with respect to the geofenceand for pairing with devices located within that geofence of the hotelroom only, so that the remote controller App on one device does notaffect controls or settings outside the hotel room geofence (i.e., inanother room where the user is not a registered guest). Entitlements arealso provided in this use case, for example by the HVAC devicemanufacturer, who provides a certificate of entitlement for remotecontrol of the device wirelessly to the hotel; the hotel then hasverified authority to extend the ongoing entitlement (duration of years)to the user who has checked into the hotel (duration of days) duringtheir registered stay only. This illustrates how balancing foroptimization of zoom level or class detail and class pairing is providedto provide for higher zoom level (Internet of Things (HVAC controls, TVcontrols, lighting controls, etc.)) compared with a lower zoom level ordetail in the metadata for real estate more generally.

In yet another example of the systems and methods of the presentinvention, a first step provides that any device that has an App or isprogrammed to request geofence information for a ROI. The device is notlimited to smartphones or mobile phones, but includes any mobile devicehaving a processor coupled with memory that is programmed to query forgeofences and respond according to class and entitlements that it willreceive notices and/or respond to. Where a ROI is provided at 1 km(e.g., at zoom level 15) all classes above that ROI proximity arefiltered out. If any entitlement exists for any geofences returned, areason code or violation code is provided by the fencing agent, whichresponds accordingly, based upon how it has been programmed to respond.Compliance with entitlements is computed locally by the fencing agentbased on factors such as time of day and proximity to a fence. In oneexample use case, a drone flying mobile device having programming or a“drone App” operable thereon automatically queries based upon itsproximity to geofence(s) for its class and zoom range pairing.

Geofence Efficient Lookup or Query by a Fencing Agent

As referenced in FIGS. 5A and 5B hereinbelow, stakeholders in thegeofence registry systems and methods of the present invention use aweb-based portal to configure their account's geofence, includingidentification of classes and/or entitlements; this configuration isstored on the at least one server or account server(s). On start-up, thefencing agent (FA) operable within the App pulls the configuration andvalidates its own signature with its own developer certificate. When theFA is initiated by its containing App, the Fence Delivery Network (FDN)lifecycle returns a set of fence points that my be translated by the FAinto standard fence geometry such as geoJSON (polygon or centroid); uponreceipt of a set of geofences, the FA automatically begins monitoringthe geofences. Indications of classes and/or entitlements are alsoreceived by the FA within the App. The entitlements may indicate thatproximity to a particular corresponding geofence provide for thegeofence owner, operator or manager to request particular GPS powerlevels, FDN caching preferences, resolution, time of day restrictions,or to be promoted to a system level fence on the device's motionco-processor, which offloads monitoring for sleep state awakening. Uponapproaching, entering, exiting, dwelling, or ranging to a geofence edge,the FA wakes or notifies the containing App with metadata includinginformation for the geofence owner, class, signature, certification,and/or verification indications, validity date range or duration, andentitlements.

In the FDN query lifecycle, the mobile device automatically determinesits own geolocation or position by operating system and GPS (i.e., itsown lat/long); the FA converts the lat/long to an IPv6 geofencecoordinate point (or point that is not a lat/long point); the FAdetermines the nearest anchor point for the region of interest (ROI);the FA sends reverse DNS query for the anchor point to at least oneremote server via a network; the FA receives a DNS record including theanchor points of geofence(s) within the ROI, wherein the anchor pointsinclude metadata indicating ownership and use or intended use for thegeofence(s) associated with the anchor point(s); the FA filters anchorpoints based upon subsequent queries and/or based upon grants of useextended to the FA through its developer certificate; the FA sendsreverse DNS query for each of the filtered sets of geofence anchorpoints; the FA receives the DNS record(s) corresponding to andcontaining the constituent points of each geofence (polygon orcentroid); and the FA converts the points to lat/long or othercoordinate system in a geometry format for use by the mobile deviceoperating system and Apps such as geoJSON.

For encoding of anchor points as IPv6 addresses, the range of availablebits for metadata (64+ bits) compared with location data (0-63 bits)depends upon the size of IPv6 allocation, and the optimization of themetadata for zoom, as described hereinabove, such that changing the 64bit boundary for location affects the zoom level or amount of metadataused for class, entitlements, and other geofence owner and intent foruse information. The utility of IPv6 addresses for routing and Internetaccess will be achieved through the alignment of this zoomlevel/metadata boundary with IPv6 CIDR (classless inter-domain routing)and nibble boundries etc. For Internet of Things (IoT) applications,owners of geofences large enough to comprise enough IPv6 addresses tomake an acceptable size router announcement, may announce and utilizetheir block of public address space, which assists IoT devices indiscovery and self-provisioning, for example as described in use caseshereinabove.

Defining the Boundaries of the Geofences

There are many ways to define what constitutes a geofence under thepresent invention. Preferably, the geofence is defined using at leastone geographic designator. Preferably, the geographic designator is acoordinate point or set of coordinate points. However, the geographicdesignator can be any identifying information for a geographic point,location, or area. In one embodiment, the geofence is defined by aseries of coordinate points with lines connecting the series of points.The geofence is preferably a polygon in shape. In another embodiment,the geofence is an irregular shape. In a further embodiment, thegeofence is a regular shape, such as a square, rectangle, triangle,circle, etc.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the geofences are defined byreal property boundaries. Preferably, the real property boundaries arethe boundaries defined by public records for the property. In anotherembodiment, the real property boundaries are user-defined. In oneembodiment, the real property boundaries include public right of wayssuch as roads and sidewalks. In another embodiment, the real propertyboundaries do not include public right of ways. In one embodiment, theboundaries of the real property and/or the boundaries of the geofencesare defined within between about 0.5 microns and about 3 meters. Inanother embodiment, the boundaries of the real property and/or theboundaries of the geofences are defined within between about 0.5 micronsand 1 meter. In another embodiment, the boundaries of the real propertyand/or the boundaries of the geofences are defined within between about0.5 microns and 30 centimeters. Preferably, the boundaries of the realproperty and/or the boundaries of the geofences are defined withinbetween about 0.5 microns and 5 microns. Even more preferably, theboundaries of the real property and/or the boundaries of the geofencesare defined within between about 0.5 microns and 1 micron. Theprecision, accuracy, and/or resolution of the boundaries is dependentupon the nature of the IP address used. Preferably, optimal precision,accuracy, and/or resolution is achieved using an IPv6 address.

Notably, in one embodiment, the geofence can be defined either by aperimeter of points or by an area of points. In one embodiment, thepoints of the coordinate system used to defined the geofence are definedbetween about 0.5 microns and about 1 micron. In other embodiments, thepoints of the geofence are defined between about 0.5 microns and about 2microns, between about 0.5 microns and about 5 microns, between about0.5 microns and about 10 microns, between about 0.5 microns and about 15microns, between about 1 micron and about 2 microns, between about 1micron and about 5 microns, between about 1 micron and about 10 microns,between about 1 micron and about 15 microns, between about 5 microns andabout 10 microns, between about 5 micron and about 15 microns, betweenabout 0.5 millimeters and about 2 millimeters, between about 0.5millimeters and about 5 millimeters, between about 0.5 millimeters andabout 10 millimeters, between about 0.5 millimeters and about 15millimeters, between about 1 millimeter and about 2 millimeters, betweenabout 1 millimeter and about 5 millimeters, between about 1 millimeterand about 10 millimeters, between about 1 millimeter and about 15millimeters, between about 5 millimeters and about 10 millimeters,between about 5 millimeter and about 15 millimeters, between about 0.5centimeters and about 2 centimeters, between about 0.5 centimeters andabout 5 centimeters, between about 0.5 centimeters and about 10centimeters, between about 0.5 centimeters and about 15 centimeters,between about 1 centimeter and about 2 centimeters, between about 1centimeter and about 5 centimeters, between about 1 centimeter and about10 centimeters, between about 1 centimeter and about 15 centimeters,between about 5 centimeters and about 10 centimeters, between about 5centimeters and about 15 centimeters, between about 0.5 decimeters andabout 2 decimeters, between about 0.5 decimeters and about 5 decimeters,between about 0.5 decimeters and about 10 decimeters, between about 0.5decimeters and about 15 decimeters, between about 1 decimeter and about2 decimeters, between about 1 decimeter and about 5 decimeters, betweenabout 1 decimeter and about 10 decimeters, between about 1 decimeter andabout 15 decimeters, between about 5 decimeters and about 10 decimeters,between about 5 decimeters and about 15 decimeters, between about 0.5meters and about 2 meters, between about 0.5 meters and about 5 meters,between about 0.5 meters and about 10 meters, between about 0.5 metersand about 15 meters, between about 1 meter and about 2 meters, betweenabout 1 meter and about 5 meters, between about 1 meter and about 10meters, between about 1 meter and about 15 meters, between about 5meters and about 10 meters, between about 5 meter and about 15 meters,and any combination thereof (ex: between about 1 micron and about 5decimeters, between about 5 centimeters and about 10 meters, etc.).

In another embodiment, the geofences are defined by the perimeter of astructure, such as a house, an office building, an apartment, anapartment complex, a duplex, half of a duplex, a business, a hotel room,a rented space, or a recreational facility.

In yet another embodiment, the geofences are defined by city or townlimits.

While most preferred embodiments of the present invention are noncentricor noncentroid geofences, or polygon geofences, alternative embodimentsinclude centric or centroid geofences. Centric geofences are defined asthe area within a certain radius of a beacon or other central point ofreference.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the boundaries of thegeofences are permanently defined. In yet another embodiment of thepresent invention, the boundaries of the geofences are temporary.Whether the boundaries of the geofences are permanent or temporarydepends upon the nature of the property being geofenced. For example,geofences surrounding booths at trade shows, are preferably temporarybecause the booths themselves are temporary. Other examples of exemplarytemporary geofences include hotel rooms, groups of hotel rooms, campsites, and construction sites.

Another embodiment of the present invention includes systems and methodsfor updating the boundaries of a geofence. Preferably, the boundaries ofa geofence are updated in a geofence database when the boundaries of thegeofence are modified. In one embodiment, the boundaries of the geofenceare automatically updated. In another embodiment, the boundaries of thegeofence are updated by the owner of the geofence. In yet anotherembodiment, the boundaries of the geofence are updated by a licensee ofthe geofence.

Registering and Verifying a Geofence

The present invention includes a method and system for identifying basedupon a request by at least one device a geofence that is registered inthe geofence database. In one embodiment, a method for registering thegeofence includes inputting geographic designators defining a geofence,wherein each of the geographic designators are associated with anInternet Protocol (IP) address, inputting an owner name for thegeofence, and submitting the geographic designators and owner name to ageofence database.

Another aspect of the present invention involves methods and systems forverifying the information in the database, including the boundaries ofthe geofences, the IP address associated with the geographic designatorsdefining the geofences, contact information associated with thegeofences, an owner associated with the geofences, licensees of thegeofences, and combinations thereof. In one embodiment, an owner of thegeofence verifies the information associated with that geofence. Inanother embodiment, a third party verifies the information associatedwith geofences.

Database of Geofences

In one embodiment of the present invention a method is provided withsteps for creating a database of geofences, wherein the geofences in thedatabase are associated with an IP address. Preferably, each geofence inthe database is associated with at least one IP address. One embodimentinvolves defining the geofence by the boundaries of the geofence. Inanother embodiment, a set of individual coordinate points are listedalong with a unique IP address associated with each set of individualcoordinate points. Preferably, each set of coordinate points isassociated with only one IP address. In one embodiment, the IP addressis an IPv6 address. In another embodiment, the IP address is an IPv4address. In yet another embodiment, the IP address is a future standardfor determining IP addresses, such as IPv8 or IPvX.

The database of the present invention also preferably includes aplurality of other information associated with each geofence. Along withhaving the geofence, the geographic designators defining the geofence,and associated IP addresses, the geofence database of the presentinvention is operable to provide other useful information involved inthe use of the geofences and corresponding IP addresses. For example,one embodiment of the present invention includes a geofence databasewith an owner name associated with the geofence. In another embodimentof the present invention, the owner contact information is associatedwith the owner name. The contact information preferably includes atleast one of a phone number, an email address, and a mailing address. Inanother embodiment of the present invention, the database includesmessaging functionality within the database itself, so that users canmessage other users and owners of geofences within the databaseplatform. A country, city, town, postal code, street address, community,subdivision, township, other location defining information, andcombinations thereof are preferably associated with the geofence in thedatabase. The length of time that the geofence has been listed in thedatabase is included in one embodiment of the present invention. Anotherembodiment of the present invention includes a length of time that thegeofence has been verified in the database.

In one embodiment, a class associated with the geofence is listed in thedatabase. Exemplary classes include residential, office, shopping malls,airports, arenas, train stations, and government buildings. Preferably,each class contains a plurality of subclasses that are optimized forzoom level, class, etc. Exemplary subclasses for arena use cases includeconcert arenas and sports arenas.

Licensees of the geofence (if any) are also preferably listed inassociation with each geofence within the geofence registry database. Inthe present invention, the term licensee refers to a person or entitywho is granted a license (or entitlements) by the owner of the geofenceto implement or have the opportunity to implement a license orentitlement to the geofence, to operate or manage the geofence, etc.Preferably, the licensee pays the owner of the geofence for theimplementation and/or the opportunity for implementation. In oneembodiment, users of devices within the geofence are bound by theentitlement or license automatically after entering the geofence. Inanother embodiment, users of devices within the geofence are bound bythe entitlement or license after paying consideration. Preferably, thelicensee obtains a license or an entitlement to the geofence in advance,or automatically via interactive licensing through Apps on the mobiledevice after discovery of the geofence(s), based upon the availableentitlements and intended use of the geofence(s). In one embodiment usecase, the entitlement includes a rule restricting content for deviceslocated within the geofence. In another embodiment, the entitlementincludes a rule enabling content for devices located within thegeofence. In yet another embodiment, the entitlement includes a rulerequiring content for devices located within the geofence. In oneembodiment, the rule requiring content for devices located within thegeofence depends upon a user of a device accepting an agreement forcontent to be displayed or installed on the device. In a furtherembodiment, the content is an advertisement. Preferably, the user isallowed to access additional content upon agreeing for the content to bedisplayed or installed on the device. Preferably, the entitlements aremanaged by a geofence entitlement manager, which is operable to activatethe entitlement.

In one embodiment, App developers or app owners opt in for entitlementsto be used in conjunction with their Apps.

There are many reasons licensees may wish to license a geofence and itscorresponding IP addresses. By way of example, Gatorade is a corporatesponsor of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Therefore, Gatoradewould probably prefer to block competitors' (such as Powerade)advertisements and offers at ACC events. Gatorade could thereforepurchase a license to the geofence at the Dean Smith Center in ChapelHill for beverage advertising. However, Geico, another corporate sponsorof the ACC, might also wish to advertise at the Dean Smith Center andblock competitors' advertisements and offers. Since Gatorade and Geicoare not direct competitors, each of them could purchase a license toadvertise and block competitors' advertisements. In the geofencedatabase, Gatorade would be listed as a licensee under a Beveragescategory whereas Geico would be listed as a licensee under an InsuranceProvider category. Licensees are preferably grouped according toindustry. If there is an opportunity to purchase a license for aparticular geofence, this information is preferably listed inassociation with that geofence. Further information about theopportunity to purchase the license is preferably included as well, suchas an asking price for the license, a duration for the license, ahistory of past licensees, and combinations thereof. In one embodiment,the licenses are exclusive license. Preferably the license is exclusivefor one industry. In another embodiment, only one licensee is associatedwith the geofence. In another embodiment, the license is a nonexclusivelicense.

Notwithstanding present day rules by FCC regarding net neutrality, thepresent invention also provides for advertising services which redirectdevices from requested content to content defined by an owner or alicensee of the geofence. In one embodiment, a licensee or owner createsa rule that dictates what content is displayed in response to a user'sInternet search on a device inside the geofence. Preferably, the rule isembodied as an entitlement in the present invention. The dictation ofthe content may determine what content is restricted from being accessedvia the Internet within the geofence, as well as what content appearsfirst in response to an Internet search. For example, if Coca Cola isthe licensee of a geofence, Coca Cola would create a rule which statesthat any Internet searches for Pepsi do not display results associatedwith Pepsi, but only results associated with Coca Cola products.Additionally, in another embodiment, a rule is established that anyattempts to reach a certain company's website are redirected to thewebsite of the owner licensee or owner. For example, if Coca Cola is thelicensee of a geofence, any attempts to access Pepsi's website areredirected to Coca Cola's website. In one embodiment, the licensee paysthe owner each time Internet search results are redirected and/or eachtime attempts to reach a company's website are redirected to thelicensee's website. In another embodiment, the user of a device can optout of receiving certain advertisements or having searches redirected bypaying a fee. Yet another embodiment of the present invention restrictsthe usage of certain applications or apps within the geofence. Anotherembodiment requires the usage of certain applications, apps, or contentwithin the geofence as a condition to the device performing an actionwithin the geofence.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for renting orbuying various rights associated with the geofences and/or the IPaddresses associated with the geofences. In another embodiment of thepresent invention, the geofence is listed for sale or rent in thedatabase. For example, the NY Yankees may wish to sale outright theirgeofence rights associated with Yankee Stadium. The new owner wouldcontrol the Internet rights, including Internet advertising rights,within Yankee Stadium. In another embodiment, the NY Yankees may onlywish to rent the geofence rights associated with Yankee Stadium. Therights could be rented for any period of time. In one embodiment, therights are rented for a term of years, a year, a month, a day, or evenan hour. In another embodiment, the rights are rented for a season, agame, or even an inning. In one embodiment, the price of rental rightsfluctuates based on the rental time period.

In a further embodiment, the rights to a geofence are operable to bebought on a per transaction basis by a pay-per-transaction licensee. Inthis embodiment, the pay-per-transaction licensee agrees to pay theowner or a licensee of the geofence for each transaction, i.e. eachadvertisement that is sent on their behalf and/or each advertisement orcontent that is blocked on their behalf. Preferably, thepay-per-transaction licensee submits desired rules to the owner of thegeofence. In one embodiment, the pay-per-transaction licensee submitsthese rules to the owner of the geofence through the database. The ownerof the geofence then accepts these rules and provides a rate on a perrule basis. In one embodiment, the pay-per-transaction licensee pays aretainer amount before the rules are applied. Each transaction thatrequires an amount to be paid is deducted from the retainer amount. Inanother embodiment, the pay-per-transaction licensee's rules areenforced via a credit arrangement, with the owner of the geofencesending the pay-per-transaction licensee a bill at predetermined oragreed time periods.

In another embodiment of the present invention, air rights areassociated with the geofences. Air rights preferably includerestrictions on drones and other flying machines in the airspaceassociated with the geofence, as well as entitlements, instructions, andrequirements for drones and other flying machines within the geofence.Air rights also include entitlements, instructions, and requirements fordevices on the ground with respect to drones and other flying machines.Preferably, these entitlements, instructions, and requirements arecreated and enforced through a fencing agent.

U.S. Pub. Nos. 2010/0044499 and 2014/0339355 and U.S. Pat. Nos.8,052,081, 8,292,215, 8,753,155, and 8,991,740, each of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety, describe unmannedaerial vehicles and related aspects.

U.S. Pub. Nos. 2008/0291318, 2014/0340473, 2015/0281507 and U.S. Pat.Nos. 6,844,990, 6,865,028, 6,885,817, 6,895,180, and 8,016,426, each ofwhich is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety,describe recording wide-angle images and more specifically panoramicimages.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the entitlements (which maybe construed as rules), instructions, and/or requirements relate to thefunctioning of a camera within a geofence and device functions relatingto the functioning of the camera. Preferably, the entitlements,instructions, and/or requirements are embedded in the fencing agent.Preferably, the entitlements, instructions, and/or requirements areupdateable by owner or licensee of the geofence in real-time. In anotherembodiment, the entitlements, instructions, and/or requirements dependupon the time of day, the day of the week, the weather, the temperature,and/or the time of year. Although the entitlements, instructions, and/orrequirements are received by the device with the camera when the deviceis within the geofence, the instruction, entitlement, and/or requirementcan include the device with the camera recording and/or detectingobjects or classes of objects present within the geofence and/or presentoutside the geofence. Preferably, upon relocation to a differentlocation in a geofence or to a location inside another geofence, thedevice with the camera automatically reconfigures itself and implementsthe entitlements, instructions, and/or requirements of the new location.Preferably, the entitlements, instructions, and/or requirements relatingto the functioning of the camera within the geofence and devicefunctions relating to the functioning of the camera can be updated inreal-time or near real-time. In one embodiment, the device is a drone ora mobile tower.

In one embodiment, the entitlements, instructions, and/or requirementsrelate to blurring out, blacking out, distorting, or otherwiseobstructing a portion of an object viewed by a camera, the entirety ofan object viewed by a camera, or the entirety of an area viewed by acamera. Preferably, the camera is attached to a drone or a mobile tower.The obstructing could happen in real-time (i.e. when the camera isviewing the object or area) or in near real-time after the camera hasviewed the object or area. The objects that can be obstructed include,but are not limited to, buildings (such as government buildings like theWhite House) and personal identifiers (such as license plates, faces,etc.). In one embodiment, entitlements, instructions, and/orrequirements relating to obstructing objects or obstructing objects orareas for cameras on certain devices while allowing recording of thoseobjects or areas for other devices. In another embodiment, rulesobstructing objects or areas located in neighboring or nearby geofencesare included in a geofence that does not contain the object or area.This could in effect provide for complete obstruction of an object orarea for cameras in real-time for streams or near real-time in recordedfootage such as videos or photos.

Another entitlement, instruction, and/or requirement relates todetecting a particular object or a class of objects in real-time or nearreal-time with a device having a camera. The object or class of objectscan include any object, by way of example illegal drugs, weapons,animals (including human beings), and vehicles (including aircraft,boats, cars, trucks, trains, etc.). Upon detection of the object orclass of objects, the device is preferably operable to send an image ofthe object or class of objects and/or an alert relating to the detectionto another device. In one embodiment, the entitlement, instruction,and/or requirement includes a device detecting the presence of an objectwithin a zone of a geofence and determining if the object is permittedto occupy the zone of the geofence. In another embodiment, the device isoperable to focus on the object or class of objects and/or track themovement of the object or class of objects. In one embodiment, trackingthe movement of the object or class of objects includes recording theposition of the object or class of objects. Preferably, the recording ofthe position of the objects or the class of objects is performed everynanosecond, millisecond, microsecond, second, or fraction thereof. Theposition of the objects or class of objects is preferably recorded as anIP address, IPv6 address, latitudinal/longitudinal coordinate, or as adistance from the position of the camera or device.

Notably, the object or class of objects detected and/or tracked by thedevice may be smart devices which interact with the device and/or thegeofence. However, in one embodiment, the object or class of objectsdetected and/or tracked by the device do not include wirelessconnectivity or GPS functionality. In a further embodiment, the objector class of objects detected and/or tracked do not include electronics.In yet another embodiment, the object is detected and/or tracked by thedevice with the object not emitting any man-made or artificial signalsand/or without using any artificial or man-made signals emitted by theobject. Preferably, the object is detected and/or tracked by the deviceusing infrared (IR) technology or radar.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides for the devicescanning the ground, sky, and/or underground inside the geofence forobjects. Alternatively, the device scans the ground, sky, and/orunderground outside the geofence or inside and outside the geofence forobjects. In one embodiment, the device scans the ground, sky, and/orunderground around the perimeter of the geofence. In another embodiment,the device scans the ground, sky, and/or underground in a predeterminedpattern. The predetermined pattern is defined by a plurality ofgeographic designators or IP addresses in one embodiment. In anotherembodiment, the device scans the ground, sky, and/or underground in arandomized pattern.

In another embodiment, the entitlement, instruction, and/or requirementrelates to movement of the device inside the geofence or patrolling ofthe device inside the geofence. In one embodiment, the device isinstructed to move around the perimeter of the geofence. In yet anotherembodiment, the device is instructed to move along a predeterminedpattern within the geofence defined by IP address (preferably IPv6address) coordinates. Another embodiment provides for the device to movein randomized patterns within a geofence. Other embodiments provide forthe device to move across multiple geofences, automatically obtainingany new rules for movement within the new geofences for the newgeofences entered, preferably via the fencing agent from the geofenceregistry. The device emits a sound, light, vibration, smell, or otherstimulus while patrolling in one embodiment, or emits a sound, light,vibration, smell, or other stimulus upon detecting of an object inanother embodiment. This patrol mode is useful to deter animals orhumans from entering the geofence, keeping animals or humans in ageofence, or encouraging humans or animals to enter the geofence.

In one embodiment, the device includes a reader such as a microchipreader, an RFID reader, a NFC reader, and/or a smart chip reader. In oneembodiment, and based on the entitlements, requirements, and/orinstructions given to the device, preferably through the fencing agent,the device is operable to approach an object or animal containing a chipand read the chip. By way of example, if the animal is a pet that hasstrayed into the geofence and has a microchip, the device is operable toscan the microchip and alert an owner of the animal of the pet'slocation in real-time or near real-time.

In yet another embodiment, the device with the camera is operable todetect presence of fire, flooding, wind, earthquake, or any othernatural disaster and respond by issuing an alert and/or takingcountermeasures to the natural disaster.

In another embodiment, upon the device including the camera detecting anobject or a class of objects, an entitlement, instruction, and/orrequirement for the device causes the device to approach the object ofthe class of objects. Preferably, the approach is begun in real-timeupon the detection of the object or the class of objects. The approachpreferably includes taking photographs or video of the object. In oneembodiment, the approach is defined as the device within the cameracoming within a predetermined proximity of the object or the class ofobjects and maintaining the proximity to the object or class of objects.In another embodiment, the approach includes attempting to neutralizethe object or class of objects through destruction of the object orclass of objects or quarantine of the object or class of objects. In yetanother embodiment, the approach includes taking protective actionsrelating to the object, guiding the object to a location within thegeofence, or picking up the object.

The term camera includes standard digital and non-digital camerasrecording visible light as well as IR cameras, UV cameras, night visioncameras, thermal imaging cameras, x-ray cameras, gamma ray cameras,radio wave cameras, microwave cameras, radar, ultrasound, and any otherimaging systems.

In another embodiment, the entitlements, requirements, and instructionsrelate to detecting activity by people or other devices within ageofence. The activity could include a person entering an area of ageofence, such as the person entering a door or window of a building (bybreaking in or by using a key) or a person entering a restricted area,such as walking on the grass. Identification of the person could beperformed by determining the identity of a device carried by the person,by way of example, by sending a request for identification to thedevice, or by a retinal scan of the person's eye(s). There could be anentitlement, requirement, or instruction for the device to track themovement of the person after the person has performed a certainactivity, such as by following that person within the geofence andbeyond the geofence. In one embodiment, the fencing agent within thegeofence where the detection occurred includes instructions to ignorethe fencing agents of other geofences if the device leaves the geofencewhere the detection occurred and to continue operation according of thefencing agent of the geofence where the detection occurred if thegeofence where the detection occurred includes a class or precedencehigher in authority than the other geofences.

In another embodiment of the present invention, entitlements,requirements, and instructions relate to the angle of images recorded.Exemplary angles include 180 degrees and 360 degrees. Preferably, the360 degrees angle images are created using a continuous circle 360degree view in real-time or near real-time. In another embodiment, the360 degrees angle images are created using multiple cameras, each havinga different view of the desired area to be filmed. In one embodiment,the device automatically creates a corrected image from the multiplecameras. The 360 degree or 180 degree view includes a real-time streamin one embodiment. In another embodiment, the 360 degree or 180 degreeview includes taking photographs in predetermined intervals, wherein thepredetermined intervals include every second, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 30seconds, minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, hour, 2hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, day, and combinations thereof.

Another entitlement includes trigger entitlements for accurate devicecontrol. Trigger entitlements include location-based triggerentitlements. By way of example, photos and/or videos and/or audiorecording taken within a geofence could be uploaded to a common folder.In one embodiment, the uploading is automatic and is mandatory.Preferably, the automatic uploading occurs in real-time or nearreal-time. However, in another embodiment, a user of the device is givenan option to upload a photo upon taking the photo. Preferably, thelocation-based trigger entitlements are specified for a certain timeperiod, such as the duration of an event. In another embodiment, thelocation-based trigger entitlements last in perpetuity. Otherlocation-based trigger entitlements include uploading data sent from adevice or created by a device within a geofence such as text messages,phone calls, voice data, health indicators (blood pressure, heart rate,etc.), emails, locations of the device within the geofence (recorded innanosecond, millisecond, microsecond, second intervals, or fractionsthereof), monetary transactions performed within the geofence, viewinghistory within the geofence, and/or time spent within the geofence. Datareceived by a device including text messages, phone calls, voice data,emails, and/or monetary transactions performed within the geofence areuploaded in another embodiment of the present invention.

Preferably, operational rules for the geofence are associated with eachgeofence in the database. The operational rules define the permissionsand restrictions (or entitlements) on wireless activities within thegeofences. In one embodiment, the permissions and restrictions (orentitlements) are determined by one or more licensees. In anotherembodiment, the permissions and restrictions are determined by theowner. In one embodiment, the permissions and restrictions are listed inthe database so that they are visible to users of the database. Inanother embodiment, only certain user-selected permissions andrestrictions (or entitlements) are listed in the database so that theyare visible to users of the database.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the geofence database isupdated at predetermined time intervals. Preferably, the geofencedatabase is automatically updated. Another embodiment of the presentinvention provides for manually or automatically updating ownershipand/or licensee information upon a new ownership and/or licenseagreement.

Preferably, the database is sortable by location, class, verified ornonverified status, entitlements, time-to-live values, contextsummaries, owner, licensee, email address, and combinations thereof.

In another embodiment, the database is searchable. Preferably, allfields displayed to users of the database are searchable, includingfields relating to location, class, verified or nonverified status,owner, licensee, email address, and combinations thereof. Additionally,preferably a search option exists for a user of the database to searchfor all geofences within a certain distance of a location. Preferably, afeature of the database includes an option to display all geofenceswithin a certain distance of the user's current location.

In a further embodiment, the invention provides a WiFi finder app to beused on a device in conjunction with the geofence database. Preferably,the WiFi finder app searches the geofence database and finds WiFi accesspoints located near a location. In one embodiment, the location is thecurrent location of the device. Preferably, the device is a mobiledevice. In a further embodiment, the device automatically searches forWiFi access points located near the location of the device.

In one embodiment, the database is accessible through a computer. Inanother embodiment, the database is accessible through a mobile phone.Preferably, the database is accessible through an app on the mobilephone.

Electronic Device Preferences

One embodiment of the present invention involves creating a list ofdevice preferences within the geofence database. Preferably, the devicepreferences include information relating to the device and the user ofthe device, including demographic characteristics such as age, sex, andfamily status as well as preferences for certain products or services.Preferably, the preferences for certain products or services arepreferences that stretch across industries. In one embodiment, thelicensee pays a fee to obtain access to preferences that are not withinthe licensee's business or industry. By way of example, if Coca Cola isthe owner or licensee of the Yankee Stadium geofence, it desires tomaximize the sale of all its brands. Thus, instead of sending genericCoca Cola advertisements to all users in the geofence, device and userpreferences would dictate which brand advertisements are sent to whichuser(s). A young mother or a user who has indicated a preference forMinute Maid juice would be more likely to receive an advertisement forMinute Maid instead of Coca Cola. Someone who has expressed a preferencefor health products would be more likely to receive advertisements forvitamin enhanced water, or another “healthier” brand of Coca Cola.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a list of devicespermitted to access the Internet within a geofence is associated withthe geofence in the geofence database. An administrator, owner, orlicensee of the geofence grants access in one embodiment. In anotherembodiment, a user of a device requests access and access isautomatically granted based on the user's acceptance of an agreement orterms relating to the access. In another embodiment, a list of devicesprohibited from accessing the Internet within a geofence is associatedwith the geofence. In a further embodiment, the database of the presentinvention is updated in real-time or near real-time and includes a listof the number and identity of devices currently using the Internetwithin the geofence. In another embodiment, the database includes a listof the number and identity of devices that have used the Internet withina predetermined time period, such as the last hour, last day, last week,or last year.

Analytics

One embodiment of the present invention relates to providing analyticsfor geofences and the corresponding IP addresses. Preferably, theanalytics are accessible through the database. In one embodiment,analytics include determining a number of devices which have accessedand/or attempted to access the Internet within a geofence for aparticular time period or overall. Another embodiment includesdetermining the number of advertisements that have been sent to deviceswithin the geofence. Preferably, the number of advertisements is furthersorted into the number of advertisements sent on behalf of the owner andlicensees. The number of advertisements preferably includes a breakdownof the number of each type of advertisement sent and the number of aparticular advertisement sent. Additionally, the present inventionprovides for analytics relating to the number of advertisements blockedwithin the geofence and/or the number of redirected searches within thegeofence. In another embodiment, the present invention includesstatistics relating to the volume of sales of a product or servicewithin the geofence. Preferably, the product or service is a product orservice sold by the owner or licensee of the geofence. In anotherembodiment, the product or service is a product or service sold by thecompetitor of the owner or licensee of the geofence. In anotherembodiment of the present invention, the analytics include analyticsrelating to the number of offers distributed by a licensee or owner ofthe geofence and the number of those offers accepted by users of deviceswithin the geofence. In yet another embodiment of the present invention,the analytics include analytics relating to how many times individualdevices have entered the geofence, an average duration for the timespent by the device in the geofence, and combinations thereof

Geofence Classes

Geofences are created to serve different intents with differentfunctionalities. Geofences can be created for residential propertieswith control and management and surveillance functionality. In oneembodiment, such a geofence will block drones flying across into theterritory of this residential property. In another embodiment, vehiclesequipped with communication systems, when entering or leaving theresidential property geofence, will trigger a notification to the owner.In yet another embodiment, people with mobile devices can triggernotifications to the owner as well so that the owner knows who they are,friends, relatives, neighbors, or intruders.

Geofences can also be created at business locales for fair competitionand management. In one embodiment, customers in a first pizza shopcannot receive advertisements or coupons from a second pizza shop acrossthe street due the control of the geofence for the first pizza shop.

Geofences can also be created for public or private schools for thepurpose of protection. In one embodiment, unwanted information andadvertisements are block out of the school territory for the safetyreason. In another embodiment, a school geofence can recognizeunauthorized persons entering the geofence if there is a mobile devicewith them so as to take further actions.

Although geofences have traditionally been stationary, a strong needexists for creating mobile geofences. These geofences are defined as apolygon or a shape around a mobile object, such as a vehicle, plane, orboat. Additionally, the mobile geofences are defined centrally withrespect to the object, by a beacon or other indicator located in theobject in one embodiment. Rules for mobile geofences preferably relateto advertising within the mobile geofences. In one embodiment, rules forthe mobile geofences relate to functionalities of devices within themobile geofences. In one embodiment, a rule prohibits text messagingwithin a mobile geofence around a vehicle. Another example of anembodiment prohibits advertising by a competitor. An example would beprohibiting advertisements relating to a competitor's cruise ship withinthe mobile geofence of a particular cruise ship.

A further embodiment of the present invention includes permanentlyprohibiting advertising in a mobile geofence based on a brand of themobile object. For example, a Toyota would include a mobile geofencewhich prohibits advertising by Ford, Chevrolet, BMW, etc. within theToyota.

Geofences can also be created on certain highway sections, busyintersections, and high accident locations for safety management. In oneembodiment, when moving vehicles are within such geofences, all themobile device are disabled for texting, website browsing, calling exceptemergency calls.

Preferably, vehicle makers and application developers opt in geofencefunctionalities as a standard to provide customers safer and moreflexible experiences.

Fence Delivery Network

Fundamentally, the present invention relies on a coordinate system basedon IP addresses, where an IP address, preferably an IPv6 address, isused to describe an exact point on earth on micron level. Traditionally,a coordinate point with a longitude value and a latitude value is usedto describe a geographic point on earth. However, with the presentinvention, an IP address is also associated with a geographic point. TheIP address and coordinate point can be converted to each other forrelated lookups. Preferably, the IPv6 address is only used to determinethe anchor point associated with the geofence(s). A single anchor pointis computed independently when the lat/long is automatically convertedto an IPv6 address for the ROI anchor point; this is the only time theIPv6 address is used within the systems and methods of the presentinvention. The constituent points of fence geometry are also expressedin IP addresses. The ROI anchor and fence anchor are the only uses ofDNS queries.

A method for querying a database of registered geofences is disclosed. Arequest associated with an IP address is received by a server/processor.The IP address is converted to an anchor point of geographic locationwithin the ROI in the processor. One or more geofences having respectivegeographic areas that overlap with the anchor point identified. Therequest is a DNS query and accordingly, the response a DNS response.Information describing the identified geofences is encoded in the IPaddresses and the list of fence IP address points are returned in theDNS response. The information includes an indication whether aparticular geofence is verified or unverified, a class of the identifiedgeofence, an entitlement of the geofence, a time-to-live value relatedto the geofence, and metes and bounds of the geofence, which togetherprovide the information about the registered geofence and its intendeduse(s) as registered by the owner of the geofence (i.e., theentitlements provide the intended use information). In one embodiment, auser device is location-aware, which means that a user device is able todetermine its own location by use of relevant technology, such as GPS,iBeacon, WiFi and etc. The user device independently converts acoordinate point describing its location (lat/long automaticallydetermined by the device location services) to an IP address, preferablyIPv6 address. A fence delivery network comprises a server and one ormore geofence databases communicating over network with a fencing agent(FA) contained within or operable within an App on a device (orotherwise programmed for operation on the mobile device). A geocodermodule or an IP-Coordinate converter in the server performs theconversion between an IP address to a coordinate point of a geographiclocation. A search/query module in the server queries one or moregeofence databases. The one or more databases can be centralized ordecentralized. The server can be centralized or decentralized. In oneembodiment, the fence delivery network includes a Graphical UserInterface (GUI). Preferably, the GUI is configured to receive a requestand display a response. In one embodiment, the request comprises an IPaddress. In a further embodiment, the request is a Domain Name System(DNS) query. Preferably, the response includes information describingone or more identified geofences. In one embodiment, the informationdescribing the one or more identified geofences comprises at least oneof an indication whether the geofence is verified or unverified, a classof the one or more identified geofences, an entitlement of the one ormore identified geofences, a time-to-live value, and a context summaryof the one or more identified geofences. In another embodiment, the GUIcomprises an interactive map showing the boundaries of the one or moreidentified geofences. Preferably, the interactive map is a 2-dimensional(2D) map. In yet another embodiment, the fence delivery network is asystem. Preferably, the system includes an application programcommunicating with the at least one server and the at least one geofencedatabase via the network, wherein the application program is installedin at least one mobile computing device. This fence delivery network avery robust system that supplies every internet connected device withIP/Coordinate and Coordinate/IP mappings in a very distributed,redundant and fault tolerant way.

Visualization

A Graphical User Interface is used for geofence registration, lookup andpermissions.

Registration GUI

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a user registers ageofence via a geofence registration GUI. Preferably, the geofence GUIincludes a map. In one embodiment, the user defines the geofence on themap. In a further embodiment, the user defines the geofence on the mapby outlining the perimeter of the geofence on the map. In anotherembodiment, the user defines the geofence on the map by indicating thelocation and the range of the beacon on the map. In yet anotherembodiment, the user enters a street address associated with a geofenceand the associated real property boundaries of the geofence areautomatically drawn onto the map. In another embodiment, the firstrequest, the step of converting the coordinate point to the IP address,the IP address, and/or the information describing the one or moreidentified geofences are displayed via the GUI.

Lookup and permission GUI

With a geofence query GUI, a user can search on metadata and certificatedetails, since neither the stakeholders using the GUI nor the appdevelopers are aware of the IP addresses. There is another button“geofence search”, it will pull up all the identified geofences relatedto the IP address and the associated geofence information. Search termslike “verified, active, Amazon, drone, barking” (by way of example andnot limitation) would yield a set of fences with a visual depiction oftheir geometry on the map. Preferably, the map is interactive.

In another embodiment, the interactive map is a 2D interactive map, itshows the boundary of each identified geofence and a label indicatingsome of the geofence information, such as verified or unverified,entitled or not, and a summary of the data content within the geofence.This 2D interactive map provides a visual overlay or comparison of IPv6addresses and geographic coordinate points with high resolution. Inother embodiments, a 3D interactive map may be used to provide forglobal coverage.

In one embodiment, the map of geofences is color coded. Preferably,geofences are coded by color according to at least one of a class, apermanent or temporary status, an owner status, a licensee status, usagestatistics, verification status, precedence, etc. In one embodiment, themap is accessible via a mobile device. In a further embodiment, the mapis operable to be accessed and manipulated using a touch screen. In oneembodiment, a user clicks on an area on the map associated with ageofence to request access to the geofence.

In one embodiment, a desktop computer with internet connection can beused to perform the query via this GUI. In another (preferred)embodiment, a mobile device with an application installed is used toperform the query. In this embodiment, there may be a “connect” or“enter” button for a geofence. Once the mobile device will haveinteractions with the selected.

Messaging/Notification

One embodiment is that a user/a user's mobile device searches availablegeofences and related information, and then the user selects which onehe wants to connect or enter. Once the user hits “enter” button for aspecific geofence, there will be interaction between the mobile deviceand the specific geofence server.

There may be “terms and conditions” for the geofence entrance, forexample, that geofence server has access to your mobile device andcollect data, certain laws and rules are enforced within the geofence,and etc. Geofences may be free or fee required to enter. If there is acertain fee, payment page is transmitted to the mobile device. Once theuser accepts the terms and conditions and pays the fee if required, theuser/mobile device is allowed to enter the geofence via a notification.This way, the user/mobile device can receive information this specificgeofence has. There may be different levels of fees and bases on the feelevel, based on the fee level, there are different levels of informationaccess for the users, such as basic, premium, enterprise and etc. Auser/mobile device may enter more than one geofence at the same time.There are entrance procedures similar to the above description.

Another embodiment is that once the user/a user's mobile devicephysically is within certain geofences, there are notifications poppingup, similar to the wifi alert on the user's mobile device if the WiFi ison. At this time, the user/mobile device can still query the geofencedatabase to get more information about the available geofences and thendecides which geofence(s) to enter.

In another embodiment, the mobile device may be admitted to certaingeofences automatically once it is within the boundary of thosegeofences. In some circumstances, the user/mobile device may receiveunwanted advertisements or other annoying information or services, theuser has the option to exit or block those geofences, or block receivingcertain information. Preferably, the fence delivery network applicationinstalled mobile device can identify “obnoxious” or unsecure or junkgeofences and display warnings or notifications to the user as a kind oflocation-based service.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Referring now to the figures, they are provided for illustration of thepresent invention and are not intended to limit the claims thereto.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the inventionillustrating a computer system, generally described as 800, having anetwork 810, a plurality of computing devices 820, 830, 840, a server850 and a database 870.

The server 850 is constructed, configured and coupled to enablecommunication over a network 810 with computing devices 820, 830, 840.The server 850 includes a processing unit 851 with an operating system852. The operating system 852 enables the server 850 to communicatethrough network 810 with the remote, distributed user devices. Database870 houses an operating system 872, memory 874, and programs 876.

In one embodiment of the invention, the system 800 includes acloud-based network 810 for distributed communication via a wirelesscommunication antenna 812 and processing by a plurality of mobilecommunication computing devices 830. In another embodiment of theinvention, the system 800 is a virtualized computing system capable ofexecuting any or all aspects of software and/or application componentspresented herein on the computing devices 820, 830, 840. In certainaspects, the computer system 800 is implemented using hardware or acombination of software and hardware, either in a dedicated computingdevice, or integrated into another entity, or distributed acrossmultiple entities or computing devices.

By way of example, and not limitation, the computing devices 820, 830,840 are intended to represent various forms of digital computers 820,840, 850 and mobile devices 830, such as a server, blade server,mainframe, mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a desktop computer, a netbook computer, a tablet computer, aworkstation, a laptop, and other similar computing devices. Thecomponents shown here, their connections and relationships, and theirfunctions, are meant to be exemplary only, and are not meant to limitimplementations of the invention described and/or claimed in thisdocument

In one embodiment, the computing device 820 includes components such asa processor 860, a system memory 862 having a random access memory (RAM)864 and a read-only memory (ROM) 866, and a system bus 868 that couplesthe memory 862 to the processor 860. In another embodiment, thecomputing device 830 additionally includes components such as a storagedevice 890 for storing the operating system 892 and one or moreapplication programs 894, a network interface unit 896, and/or aninput/output controller 898. Each of the components is coupled to eachother through at least one bus 868. The input/output controller 898receives and processes input from, or provide output to, a number ofother devices 899, including, but not limited to, alphanumeric inputdevices, mice, electronic styluses, display units, touch screens, signalgeneration devices (e.g., speakers) or printers.

By way of example, and not limitation, the processor 860 is ageneral-purpose microprocessor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)),a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microcontroller, a Digital SignalProcessor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), aField Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD),a controller, a state machine, gated or transistor logic, discretehardware components, or any other suitable entity or combinationsthereof that can perform calculations, process instructions forexecution, and/or other manipulations of information.

In another implementation, shown as 840 in FIG. 1, multiple processors860 and/or multiple buses 868 are used, as appropriate, along withmultiple memories 862 of multiple types (e.g., a combination of a DSPand a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or moremicroprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core).

Also, multiple computing devices are connected, with each deviceproviding portions of the necessary operations (e.g., a server bank, agroup of blade servers, or a multi-processor system). Alternatively,some steps or methods are performed by circuitry that is specific to agiven function.

According to various embodiments, the computer system 800 operates in anetworked environment using logical connections to local and/or remotecomputing devices 820, 830, 840, 850 through a network 810. A computingdevice 830 is connected to a network 810 through a network interfaceunit 896 connected to the bus 868. Computing devices communicatecommunication media through wired networks, direct-wired connections orwirelessly such as acoustic, RF or infrared through an antenna 897 incommunication with the network antenna 812 and the network interfaceunit 896, which includes digital signal processing circuitry whennecessary. The network interface unit 896 provides for communicationsunder various modes or protocols.

In one or more exemplary aspects, the instructions are implemented inhardware, software, firmware, or any combinations thereof. A computerreadable medium provides volatile or non-volatile storage for one ormore sets of instructions, such as operating systems, data structures,program modules, applications or other data embodying any one or more ofthe methodologies or functions described herein. The computer readablemedium includes the memory 862, the processor 860, and/or the storagemedia 890 and is a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralizedor distributed computer system) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions 900. Non-transitory computer readable media includes allcomputer readable media, with the sole exception being a transitory,propagating signal per se. The instructions 900 are further transmittedor received over the network 810 via the network interface unit 896 ascommunication media, which includes a modulated data signal such as acarrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any deliverymedia. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one ormore of its characteristics changed or set in a manner as to encodeinformation in the signal.

Storage devices 890 and memory 862 include, but are not limited to,volatile and non-volatile media such as cache, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM,FLASH memory or other solid state memory technology, disks or discs(e.g., digital versatile disks (DVD), HD-DVD, BLU-RAY, compact disc(CD), CD-ROM, floppy disc) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,or any other medium that are used to store the computer readableinstructions and which are accessed by the computer system 800.

It is also contemplated that the computer system 800 does not includeall of the components shown in FIG. 1, includes other components thatare not explicitly shown in FIG. 1, or utilizes architecture completelydifferent than that shown in FIG. 1. The various illustrative logicalblocks, modules, elements, circuits, and algorithms described inconnection with the embodiments disclosed herein are implemented aselectronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. Toclearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software,various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and stepshave been described above generally in terms of their functionality.Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or softwaredepends upon the particular application and design constraints imposedon the overall system. Skilled artisans can implement the describedfunctionality in varying ways for each particular application (e.g.,arranged in a different order or partitioned in a different way), butsuch implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing adeparture from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for delivering geofence information based on arequest. A user send out a DNS request associated with an IP address202. A server converts the IP address to a coordinate point ofgeographic location and queries a geofence database 204. Then one ormore geofences overlapping at the coordinate point are identified 206.The server then returns a DNS response including information describingthe identified one or more geofences 208.

FIG. 3 is an embodiment of GUI for the geofence delivery network. A userenters latitude and longitude values in a box on the GUI 302, and thenselects the button “Geofence search” 304. Then, all the identifiedgeofences are identified and listed on the GUI with correspondinginformation 306. There is also an interactive map displaying theidentified geofences 308. In this illustrated example, there are threegeofences identified. Their name, class, entitlement, verification, andcontent information are displayed accordingly. In the interactive map,boundaries of the three geofences G1 (black) 310, G2 (green) 312, and G3(red) 314 are differentiated with different line types. Meanwhile, theconverted coordinate point 316 is also noted in the map.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a GUI for fence delivery network402, including several options of defining a geofence, includingdefining the geofence by real property boundaries, defining the geofenceby the radius around a beacon, defining the geofence by the perimeter ofa building. By way of example and not limitation, a use case foridentifying geofences associated with Dog Parks is shown, indicating thelocations of the Dog Parks 404 based upon the City of SF, and public usehours and restrictions 406 are also indicated. Also illustrated are MyFences, which in this use case include the user's home geofence (MyHouse) 408 and Fire Hydrants 410. All of these are automaticallyindicated with geographic proximity to each other and visuallyrepresented in 2-D map view on the GUI of the user's mobile device.Preferably, the geofences associated with Dog Parks, the user's homegeofence, and the geofences associated with Fire Hydrants are eachrepresented by a different color in the GUI, wherein the color is eitherthe outline or partial of a geofence or the geofence is filled in withthe color. In an exemplary embodiment, fire hydrants are representedwith red, the home geofence is represented with blue, and the dog parksare represented with green. In another embodiment, the geofencesassociated with Dog Parks, the user's home geofence, and the geofencesassociated with Fire Hydrants are each represented by different figures.Preferably, each distinct type of fence is represented with a differentshape and/or a different outline of the shape. In 4, the Dog Parks arerepresented by the two overlapping non-filled circles and the squarepartially overlapping the filled circle; My House is represented by thesquare above the filled circle which does not overlap the filled circle;and the Fire Hydrants are represented by the remainder of the squares.

FIGS. 5A & 5B show a flowchart illustrating steps for querying ageofence database. The FIG. 5A flowchart includes an FA 502, a LocalCaching DNS 504, an ISP or Cellular Carrier DNS 506, an AuthoritativeDNS 508, and an Authoritative Account Service 510. Steps includedetermines IPv6 ROI anchor point 512, Reverse query for ROI anchor point514, Fence Anchor Points+metadata 516, Reverse query for fence anchorpoint 518, Fence Points 520, and reconstruct geoJSON fence from points522. FIG. 5B is a cached response for steps for querying a geofencedatabase.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating zoom level to class binding when usinga pyramid projection 600. As shown, Drones are provided on a zoom level9-14 602; Pet Tracker is provided on a zoom level 17 604; and Hotel RoomHVAC/Lighting is provided on a zoom level 25 606. In a current pyramidprojection according to the present invention, the highest order bits ofIP addresses are used to represent a location the lower order bits areused to express metadata such as fence classes, entitlements, and lookuptable identifiers (for the purpose of redefining the metadata bits inthe future). In other embodiments, the metadata are expressed on anyaspect of DNS or IP, such as DNS RR (resource records), certificates,keys or IPv6 scopes. In a current pyramid projection according to thepresent invention, there are trillions of potential bits to be used asmetadata in every square millimeter of location. These bits, when set to1 will represent an intersection of class, entitlements and lookup tablefor this square centimeter location.

FIG. 7 illustrates a 3-D model overview illustrating how the surface ofthe Earth is not a perfect sphere 702; however, as provided by thepresent invention, a sphere map is generated automatically consisting ofpoints that are represented by IPv6 addresses that superficially wraparound or cover the Earth such that the sphere map encompasses thehighest features to represent or approximate the Earth's surface for usewith the present invention generation of geofences registry, lookup,categorization within at least one database for geofences.

FIG. 8 is a 2-D model overview illustrating another view of mapping theearth 706 for providing visualization of geofences according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 9 is a PRIOR ART schematic diagram for geofencing solutions.Current prior art geofencing solutions are generally based on centroidfences and the data emitted by the location service frameworks consistsof simple messages containing the fence identification (ID) and a noticeof entry 902, exit 904, or dwelling 906 inside of the fence 900.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for geofencing solutions according to thepresent invention. By contrast and differentiation from prior art, thepresent invention provides for augmentation of messaging. Theapproaching 920, entering 902, exiting 904, and dwelling 906 messagesare augmented with metadata describing the ownership and purpose of ageofence through a hierarchy of classes 922. The purpose of a geofenceis defined to include the intended and/or allowed use of services insideor within the geofence boundaries, which are expressed through a systemof entitlements that are received as inputs and stored in the at leastone geofence database and associated with the geofence data.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the encoding of a class andentitlement on an IPv6 address. While this illustration isoversimplified, its depiction of encoding of a class and entitlement onan IPv6 address is extended to provide for billions of positions perlocation. The lat/long point 1102 is the edge of a floating bitboundary; the dots 1104 represent the anchor points that the systems andmethods of the present invention use for metadata rather than forlocation. The neighboring lat/long point 1105 is the next usable pointunder which the depicted and described process starts again (orrepeats). Significantly, there is only one bit of metadata for eachanchor point, but there are multiple points for each geofence, accordingto the present invention; this provides for and allows multiple classesand/or entitlements to be expressed and associated with each geofence.In the example case used for this FIG. 11, four example entitlements areillustrated: Notification 1106, Drone Landing 1108, Connect VPN 1110,and Camera 1112; they have corresponding colorized points, respectively:red, green, yellow, and blue. In FIG. 11, the possible entitlements areorganized in lines of dots, with a darker dot indicating that theentitlement is allowed for that latitude and longitude. In anotherembodiment, the entitlements. The example case is provided forillustration purposes only, and does not intend to limit the claimedinvention thereto; the example case shows a user (Jenny/Jenny's Flowers)1114 who would like to allow delivery drones to land for pickup anddropoff inside a predetermined geofence having an anchor point atlat/long as illustrated. Each point is a neighboring lat/long point;Owner 1 1116, Owner 2 1118, Bob's Tacos 1120, Jenny's Flowers 1114, andJohn Jones 1122 are all indicated in this example as geofence owners;Class 1 1124, Class 2 1126, Flower Shops 1128, and John's house 1130 areall indicated as geofence classes associated with the indicated exampleentitlements. The green point 1132 activated for Jenny's Flowersuser/owner and for Flower Shops that allows for the entitlement of DroneLanding (green point 1132) is highlighted to indicate an intended orallowable use of that geofence by the geofence owner. The lighter dotssurrounding the darker point represent prospective entitlements whichhave not been allowed for Notification, Drone Landing, Connect VPN, andCamera.

By way of definition and description supporting the claimed subjectmatter, preferably, the present invention includes communicationmethodologies for transmitting data, data packets, messages or messagingvia a communication layer. Wireless communications over a network arepreferred. Correspondingly, and consistent with the communicationmethodologies for transmitting data or messaging according to thepresent invention, as used throughout this specification, figures andclaims, wireless communication is provided by any reasonable protocol orapproach, by way of example and not limitation, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi,cellular, zigbee, near field communication, and the like; the term“ZigBee” refers to any wireless communication protocol adopted by theInstitute of Electronics & Electrical Engineers (IEEE) according tostandard 802.15.4 or any successor standard(s), the term “Wi-Fi” refersto any communication protocol adopted by the IEEE under standard 802.11or any successor standard(s), the term “WiMax” refers to anycommunication protocol adopted by the IEEE under standard 802.16 or anysuccessor standard(s), and the term “Bluetooth” refers to anyshort-range communication protocol implementing IEEE standard 802.15.1or any successor standard(s). Additionally or alternatively to WiMax,other communications protocols may be used, including but not limited toa “1G” wireless protocol such as analog wireless transmission, firstgeneration standards based (IEEE, ITU or other recognized worldcommunications standard), a “2G” standards based protocol such as “EDGEor CDMA 2000 also known as 1×RTT”, a 3G based standard such as “HighSpeed Packet Access (HSPA) or Evolution for Data Only (EVDO), anyaccepted 4G standard such as “IEEE, ITU standards that include WiMax,Long Term Evolution “LTE” and its derivative standards, any Ethernetsolution wireless or wired, or any proprietary wireless or power linecarrier standards that communicate to a client device or anycontrollable device that sends and receives an IP based message. Theterm “High Speed Packet Data Access (HSPA)” refers to any communicationprotocol adopted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) oranother mobile telecommunications standards body referring to theevolution of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standardbeyond its third generation Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS) protocols. The term “Long Term Evolution (LTE)” refers to anycommunication protocol adopted by the ITU or another mobiletelecommunications standards body referring to the evolution ofGSM-based networks to voice, video and data standards anticipated to bereplacement protocols for HSPA. The term “Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA) Evolution Date-Optimized (EVDO) Revision A (CDMA EVDO Rev. A)”refers to the communication protocol adopted by the ITU under standardnumber TIA-856 Rev. A.

It will be appreciated that embodiments of the invention describedherein may be comprised of one or more conventional processors andunique stored program instructions that control the one or moreprocessors to implement, in conjunction with certain non-processorcircuits, some, most, or all of the functions for the systems andmethods as described herein. The non-processor circuits may include, butare not limited to, radio receivers, radio transmitters, antennas,modems, signal drivers, clock circuits, power source circuits, relays,current sensors, and user input devices. As such, these functions may beinterpreted as steps of a method to distribute information and controlsignals between devices. Alternatively, some or all functions could beimplemented by a state machine that has no stored program instructions,or in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), inwhich each function or some combinations of functions are implemented ascustom logic. Of course, a combination of the two approaches could beused. Thus, methods and means for these functions have been describedherein. Further, it is expected that one of ordinary skill in the art,notwithstanding possibly significant effort and many design choicesmotivated by, for example, available time, current technology, andeconomic considerations, when guided by the concepts and principlesdisclosed herein, will be readily capable of generating such softwareinstructions, programs and integrated circuits (ICs), and appropriatelyarranging and functionally integrating such non-processor circuits,without undue experimentation.

Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled inthe art upon a reading of the foregoing description. In an alternateembodiment of the systems and methods of the present invention, LatLongis used and forward records instead of using IP addresses as describedin the foregoing preferred embodiments. The above-mentioned examples areprovided to serve the purpose of clarifying the aspects of the inventionand it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that they do not serveto limit the scope of the invention. All modifications and improvementshave been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability butare properly within the scope of the present invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system for enforcing at least one rulewithin a geofence, comprising: a server computer including anon-transitory computer readable medium, a processor, and a memory innetwork communication with a fencing agent; wherein the server computerdefines at least one zone of the geofence using a unique InternetProtocol (IP) address anchor point in a geofence database, wherein theunique IP address anchor point includes metadata, including at least onerule; wherein the fencing agent determines a geographic location of anunmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and converts the geographic location to anIP address; wherein the fencing agent identifies one of the at least onezone associated with the IP address; wherein the fencing agentidentifies the at least one rule from the metadata; wherein the fencingagent implements the at least one rule; wherein the geofence is athree-dimensional geofence, wherein the three-dimensional geofence isdefined by a plurality of points, wherein the plurality of points aredefined by a plurality of IP addresses in the geofence database; andwherein the at least one rule includes at least one class and at leastone entitlement.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the fencing agent isembedded in a chip in an operating system of the UAV.
 3. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the unique IP address anchor point is associated with ageographic location.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the fencing agentoverrides the at least one rule.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein thegeofence database stores geographic point information corresponding tothe unique IP address anchor point and updates the geographic pointinformation for the unique IP address anchor point in the geofencedatabase.
 6. An apparatus for enforcing at least one rule within ageofence, comprising: an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) including anon-transitory computer readable medium, a processor, a memory, and afencing agent; wherein the UAV is in network communication with a servercomputer; wherein the server computer includes a geofence database whichdefines at least one zone of the geofence using a unique InternetProtocol (IP) address anchor point, and wherein the unique IP addressanchor point includes metadata associated with the at least one zone,including at least one rule; wherein the fencing agent determines ageographic location of the UAV and converts the geographic location toan IP address; wherein the fencing agent identifies one of the at leastone zone associated with the IP address; wherein the fencing agentidentifies the at least one rule from the metadata; wherein the fencingagent implements the at least one rule; wherein the geofence is athree-dimensional geofence, wherein the three-dimensional geofence isdefined by a plurality of points, wherein the plurality of points aredefined by a plurality of IP addresses in the geofence database; andwherein the at least one rule includes at least one class and at leastone entitlement.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein thethree-dimensional geofence occupies the same physical and/or geographicspace with a plurality of three-dimensional geofences.
 8. The apparatusof claim 6, wherein the fencing agent is embedded in a code of anapplication on the UAV.
 9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the uniqueIP address anchor point is associated with a geographic location. 10.The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the fencing agent receives anotification from the server computer.
 11. The apparatus of claim 6,wherein the geofence database stores geographic point informationcorresponding to the unique IP address anchor point and updates thegeographic point information for the unique IP address anchor point inthe geofence database.
 12. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein theplurality of points include a longitude, a latitude, and an altitude inthe geofence database.
 13. A method for enforcing at least one rulewithin a geofence, comprising: a server computer including anon-transitory computer readable medium, a processor, and a memory innetwork communication with a fencing agent defining at least one zone ofthe geofence using a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address anchor pointin a geofence database, wherein the unique IP address anchor pointincludes metadata, including at least one rule; the fencing agentdetermining a geographic location of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)and converting the geographic location to an IP address; the fencingagent identifying one of the at least one zone associated with the IPaddress; the fencing agent identifying the at least one rule from themetadata; and the fencing agent implementing the at least one rule;wherein the geofence is a three-dimensional geofence, wherein thethree-dimensional geofence is defined by a plurality of points, whereinthe plurality of points are defined by a plurality of IP addresses inthe geofence database; and wherein the at least one rule includes atleast one class and at least one entitlement.
 14. The method of claim13, wherein the plurality of points include a longitude, a latitude, andan altitude in the geofence database.
 15. The method of claim 13,wherein the unique IP address anchor point is an IPv6 address anchorpoint.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the unique IP address anchorpoint is associated with a geographic location.
 17. The method of claim13, further comprising the server computer sending a notification over anetwork to the UAV.
 18. The method of claim 13, further comprising thegeofence database storing geographic point information corresponding tothe unique IP address anchor point.